European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - October 22, 1994, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Buying fakes if the Price is too Good to be True the item probably in t  the associated press ony Lynne adjusted the strap on his newly purchased $10 rolex watch As he strolled away from a storefront in new York s Chinatown stocked with fake watches shirts and handbags. He knows it s phony and says he s no fool. I always buy on the Street. It s a bargain Layne said. I figure the Battery alone must be Worth $10 so if it lasts a month two months i be gotten my 10 Bucks  but anti counterfeit experts say Layne still got fleeced because his $10 watch Likely Cost no More than $2. It s nothing but pure junk said Dempster Leech a private investigator who  in copyright and trademark investigations it s also big business organi de and illegal. Counterfeit goods knockoffs of Well known prestige products such As role xes Gucci bags Chanel scarves to shirts with licensed logos and pirated cd and videos that look like the real thing is a $60 billion to $70 billion Industry according to a 1088 . Government report the most recent available. Law enforcement agencies trying to Stop the illegal flow of counterfeits say that number is vastly Low. Knockoff t shirts Worth an estimated $4 million on the Street were seized in a single Manhattan raid last year. The fakes Are everywhere. In most big cities in Europe and North America teams of paddlers sell watches out of cheap briefcases handbags out of trash bags to shirts from backpacks and genuine african handicrafts from blankets aloof which can be closed up and carried off at the appearance of the local police. Knockoffs on name brands Are Bountiful. The general Rule is if it s hot in the stores it s even hotter on the streets " most of the counterfeit goods sold in the United states Are made in the air East and shipped to several main Points of entry. The top countries of origin include China Korea Taiwan and Hong Kong with new York los Angeles san Francisco Seattle and Miami As the usual destinations for shipments. Importers ship goods to Assembly places sweatshops and makeshift plants in garages a where Many counterfeit item s Are finished off with signer labels is Ken George is it really rolex this one is an inexpensive imitation. Logos and tags. When finished the goods Are delivered to wholesalers who in turn sell them to individual Street vendors and Flea Market operators. Prices Range from ridiculously cheap $8 for a Chanel Scarf to a High of $75 for some watches. That compares with As much As $300 for a real Chanel Scarf and $4,500 for a genuine rolex. The Price of the fake goes up outside the big cities As transportation and middleman costs Are figured in. Flea markets in Middle America have been known to sell imitation role xes for As much As $200, said attorney Heather Mcdonald who coordinates rolex s anti counterfeiting efforts in the United states. We know for a fact that people believe they re buying the genuine thing at that Price Point because when the watches Stop working they bring them in to rolex and say Why in t this working " she said. Many people receive counterfeits As gifts and when something goes wrong the shirt shrinks the logo s Dye bleeds the handbag Falls apart the videotape Breaks the cd skips they often try to return them to stores. Yet like Layne and his rolex Consumers continue to believe they re getting if not an original a Good imitation. Leech and other counterfeiting fighters see nothing Good about  a this is organized crime at work Leech said. It s a Way for criminal fraternities to support themselves and raise Money for other illegal  Lee spurn of Polo Ralph Lauren and former head of the International anti counterfeiting coalition a Washington  Trade group that lobbies for tougher Laws said there s a simple reason it s  if you took a Hammer put it through a store window and stole a designer handbag everyone would agree that s stealing Sporn said r when you buy counterfeit merchandise you re stealing the value of the Brand name the reputation. Someone spent millions of dollars to build up and the livelihood of the people who depend on that  still some people who knowingly buy counterfeit goods see nothing wrong with it. Edgar Van , who recently bought three Power rangers to shirts for his grandchildren while he was visiting new York figures he s not hurting anyone so Why not buy them these Guys Are just trying to make a living like the rest of  is Ken George How to spot a Knockoff by the associated press following is a list of some of the most popular knockoffs in each category and How to Tell if some of the brands Are fake. Watches rolex tag Huer Gucci Cartier Movado and Seiko. Second tiered knockoffs popular with younger. People Are guess a Utica and Timber land real is. Fake rolex if the second hana1 makes a tick tick tick motion it s fake the real thing has a sweep second hand. The genuine is also heavier because it s made of High Grade steel has an 18-Carat Gold band and a synthetic Sapphire Crystal. The fake is made of hollow Metal is Gold plated and the Crystal is made of plastic. Handbags Chanel Dooney & Burke Louis Vuitton fend Gucci coach. Real is fake a real Chanel handbag is made of soft Lambskin. The fakes Are made of everything from cheap leather to Vinyl. The Chanel Label with its registered. Trademark is sewn onto the bag if it s genuine. The fakes Are glued on and can be easily peeled off. Scarves Chanel Paloma Picasso Yves St. Laurent. Real is. Fake the real thing is too percent silk smooth and Light to the touch. The fakes Are polyester. On genuine designer scarves the edges Are hand rolled and hand stitched to prevent fraying fakes Are machine stitched.  / / /  designer shirts Ralph Lauren Polo Tommy Hilfiger guess Timberland. Also Power rangers Disney lion King Flintstones and world cup soccer to shirts. Real is. Fake perhaps the hardest category to detect because computer advancements have made it possible to match the real embroidery stitch for stitch. Labels and  also near perfect thanks to computer copying. The biggest Giveaway is Quality and weight of material. Fakes Are done on cheap seconds. Look beneath the designer Label to see if the original Label has been Cut out. Fake to shirts Are also printed on cheap material and do not have the Licensee s Label stitched in the neck. A private investigator displays copies of fend and Chanel handbags seized from a new York warehouse. At left two con men sell what appears to be name Brand Candy in the Netherlands. Is. Ken George it is difficult to Tell whether cd purchased on the Street Are the real things or Low Quality pirated copies. At left a dealer tries to convince a sceptical buyer that her timepieces Are genuine products from the former soviet Union. 20 the stars and stripes saturday october 22, 1994 the stars and stripes 21