Investigators from the main customs office in Frankfurt-Main uncovered a total of around 500 fake air filters as well as more than 1,000 fake oil filters when they conducted a routine inspection of two suspicious cargo shipments in July. The products, which displayed the name of an undisclosed, well-known brand, were identified as counterfeits by product experts from the original manufacturer.
The illegal imitations had been intended for a recipient in Hungary and could have posed a significant risk to consumers, warned the authority. “The use of these filters could, among other things, result in engine damage,” said Isabell Gillmann, a press officer at the Frankfurt-Main customs office. “Also, customers unwittingly using the counterfeits, could not have made the original manufacturer liable in case of malfunctions,” continues Gillmann.
In 2016 alone, the Frankfurt-Main customs secured more than 330,000 counterfeits worth around 42 million euros with more than half originating in China and Hong Kong. Among the many fakes found were, for example, numerous counterfeit accessories and garments (we reported). The just seized counterfeit air and oil filters are to be destroyed.
© zoll.de
