Counterfeiting: Manufacturers sound the alarm on the financing of crime

The Italian Camorra, the Chinese Triads, Hezbollah, Mexican cartels, and even the North Korean regime, among others, use it both to launder money and to finance their actions, according to a report by Unifab, an association for the defense and promotion of intellectual property.

"What consumers need to understand is that buying a counterfeit is no longer like it was in the 1980s, it is no longer a trivial act," commented Delphine Sarfati-Sobreira, Director General of Unifab and President of the Global Anti-Counterfeiting Group (GACG).

Delphine Sarfati-Sobreira added: "Today, buying a counterfeit product means financing a criminal network, it means condoning all the barbaric acts that we condemn." However, the report notes, "unlike drug or arms trafficking, which are subject to severe penalties, counterfeiting operates within a legal framework that is still too lax, leaving criminals considerable room for action."

However, counterfeit products affect all sectors: textiles, cosmetics, toys, electronics, food and alcohol, automotive and industrial parts, etc.

"More than a third of consumers […] believed the product was authentic," emphasizes Delphine Sarfati-Sobreira, citing an Ifop study. However, consumers "take a great risk, […] for their health and safety."

What dangers lie behind imitations?

Hygiene products that cause burns, untested car parts, watches equipped with hands that reflect radioactive products "because that's what costs the least": the examples are legion, she warns.

"The rise of online commerce and social media has amplified this threat," and "counterfeiting now benefits from uninhibited promotion, orchestrated by certain influencers," laments Unifab.

The organization regrets that "the legal framework is struggling to adapt to the rapid expansion of online commerce, (that) international cooperation remains too fragmented, and (that) consumers continue to fuel this market."