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Tag: counterfeit goods

  • Real Authentication Brings its ‘Founder Advantage’ to Stand Out in the Luxury Authentication Field

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    Co-founders Anastacia Black and Jenna Padilla leveraged their top-tier fashion and authentication experience to launch a company providing an unmatched level of assurance for their clients.

    Real Authentication helps both everyday people and businesses buy and sell premium and luxury brands by providing expert assessments of whether potential high-end fashion purchases are genuine or counterfeit. Shoppers can have confidence in those evaluations because of the Real Authentication “Founder Advantage”: Co-founders Anastacia Black and Jenna Padilla held top-tier buying and authentication positions in the luxury fashion world for years before launching their company almost a decade ago.

    Padilla and Black held various positions in the fashion industry before each working at a prominent California luxury retail resale store. They then moved on to a leading national online luxury reseller, where they personally authenticated more than 100,000 items – handbags, accessories, shoes, jewelry and more – in more than 30 brands over three years.

    In senior positions at the national reseller, they also took on the responsibility of developing brand guides and instructional materials and training new employees in research, identification, authentication and appraisal techniques – greatly valuable for building their expert team at Real Authentication.

    As their company nears its 10th anniversary, Real Authentication’s Founder Advantage, harnessing personal experience for unmatched authenticity, has established the gold standard in luxury item authentication and valuation. Real Authentication now certifies more than 170 premium brands in a variety of categories, including handbags, watches, eyewear, clothing, jewelry, shoes, sneakers, scarves, hats and home goods, and serves customers and brands in 95% of countries worldwide.

    Real Authentication provides businesses and shoppers with a defense against the surging market of counterfeit goods, estimated by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office as totaling $4.5 trillion a year, and a counter to the misinformation spreading across social media channels, such as recent viral videos falsely claiming Chinese factories manufacture authentic luxury goods.

    Real Authentication leverages both human expertise and proprietary technology to verify the provenance of a luxury purchase. When a shopper submits an item to Real Authentication, highly trained human experts not only analyze production nuances, but also consider variations due to wear, fine details such as hardware engravings, typography, material quality, and much more. This holistic assessment is a level of attention and comprehension that AI-based services simply cannot match.

    By reviewing hundreds or even thousands of the same item over and over, Real Authentication’s experts also are able to identify trends in both genuine and counterfeit products, and document those trends for reference and training materials for the company.

    “Real Authentication is strongly human-forward to help ensure the item is being reviewed with all possible considerations included in the determination,” Padilla said. “Our team has the collective experience of authenticating multiple millions of items both in person and virtually. It’s truly an art form, just as a jeweler is able to identify a genuine diamond by looking at it closely.”

    Padilla and Black also remain hands-on in developing new technology to consistently maintain and improve accuracy. Real Authentication’s Smart Database Scan™ technology cross-checks data points from each customer order against the company’s exclusive archive of more than 7 million authenticated images. Used in conjunction with expert review, this technology acts as an extra set of eyes, flagging inconsistencies and enhancing the precision of each authentication.

    The combination of advanced technology and the experience-powered Founder Advantage gives Real Authentication unmatched success, with greater than 99% accuracy in determinations provided to date – and improving, rather than diminishing, over time.

    Black and Padilla first became interested in luxury authentication as many others have – by shopping for vintage items in thrift stores and reselling them. Black keeps one of her first purchases, a vintage Louis Vuitton bag, as a reminder of their journey. And while that history keeps them connected to their customers, it also reminds them that there is no substitute for experience.

    “Without access to a consistent flow of hundreds or thousands of items daily, photographed to include all necessary authentication points, a collector or novice authenticator’s view of authenticity will be limited,” Padilla said. “The launch of Real Authentication gave us that access from day one and has only grown over time,” Padilla said. ” We have been archiving new and historical manufacturing details, market selling trends, and even scammer tactics for almost 20 years now. Our early position in the market provides us with a unique vantage point of the market with huge advantages over any service provider to recently enter the market.”

    That wealth of experience, deep knowledge of the luxury market, and dedication to continuous refinement of its art is the Real Authentication Founder Advantage. For more information, visit realauthentication.com.

    About Real Authentication
    Real Authentication is a virtual luxury goods authentication service. The Real Authentication service verifies the authenticity of new and used brand-name goods with the expertise of its team of world-renowned brand experts. Clients can utilize the mobile app to upload images and receive a determination within 24 hours or less. Customers can ensure their luxury goods are the real deal at realauthentication.com.

    Source: Real Authentication

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  • Police seize fake goods worth R13m, arrest five suspects in Joburg – Medical Marijuana Program Connection

    Police seize fake goods worth R13m, arrest five suspects in Joburg – Medical Marijuana Program Connection

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    The operation resulted in the seizure of over 18,000 counterfeit items.

    The South African Police Service (SAPS) seized counterfeit goods to the value of R13 million in Johannesburg.

    Officers also arrested five undocumented suspects during the integrated takedown operation in the Johannesburg CBD on Wednesday.

    National media liaison officer Lieutenant Colonel Amanda van Wyk said police continue to make inroads by “dislodging and dismantling the illicit trade in counterfeit goods.”  

    Joburg raid

    Van Wyk said a team comprising SAPS members from various units, officials from the South African Revenue Services (Sars), brand protectors and security companies received information about business in the Joburg CBD that were selling counterfeit goods.  

    “This operation resulted in the seizure of over 18,000 counterfeit items such as clothing apparel, shoes, bags, caps and watches.

    “During the operation, the team also dismantled a hidden manufacturing plant and storage facility where counterfeit goods were distributed to shops in and around JHB. At this location, police seized large quantities of counterfeit items including a computer hard drive, silk screening and laser cutting machines,” Van Wyk said.

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  • Customs officers in Philadelphia seize nearly $200K worth of counterfeit auto parts, including air bag covers | CNN

    Customs officers in Philadelphia seize nearly $200K worth of counterfeit auto parts, including air bag covers | CNN

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    CNN
     — 

    US Customs and Border Protection officers in Philadelphia have seized counterfeit auto parts worth nearly $200,000, the agency said.

    The parts were shipped from China to Philadelphia in March, including air bag covers, aluminum hoods, front fenders and bumpers, and badges featuring the logos of Chevrolet, Buick and Dodge, the CBP said in a news release. If the parts were authentic, the manufacturer’s suggested retail price would be $196,035.

    Officers intercepted the shipment on March 2. Suspecting they were counterfeit, they submitted photos and documentation to trade experts at the Centers of Excellence and Expertise and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. CBP received word on March 31 the auto parts were counterfeit.

    CBP officers promptly seized the shipment and launched an investigation. Thus far, no one has been criminally charged.

    “Consumers in need of auto repairs should be wary of unscrupulous repair shops and greedy internet vendors that prioritize profits over the safety of their customers,” said Joseph Martella, CBP’s Area Port Director for the Area Port of Philadelphia. “Consumer safety is a top priority to Customs and Border Protection and CBP officers will continue to seize counterfeit goods that threaten the health and safety of American consumers.”

    CBP officers and Homeland Security Investigations special agents seized nearly 21,000 shipments containing counterfeit products in fiscal year 2022. The estimated value of the seized products was more than $2.98 billion, the statement said.

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