Fakes in social media: Europol seizes thousands of products

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In a large-scale surveillance operation, Europol has now successfully taken on product and brand piracy in social media. A total of more than 20,000 counterfeits were seized in cooperation with numerous European authorities.

Under the codename Aphrodite, investigators from the European law enforcement agency Europol have recently taken action against product and brand piracy on social media platforms. Officials seized a total of around 20,000 illegal copies of branded products. Among these counterfeits were products from various industries, including fake medicines, smartphones, perfumes and cosmetics as well as high-end clothing items and accessories such as jewelry, watches, sunglasses and sporting goods.

As part of the operation, numerous local law enforcement authorities in Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Portugal, Spain, and the United Kingdom conducted investigations under the auspices of Europol. The result: investigators identified and deleted around 1,000 social media user profiles that were involved in counterfeit product trafficking. In addition, they deleted approximately 10,000 online shops that offered counterfeits for sale.

With operation Aphrodite, Europol is responding to the growing significance of social media in the trade of counterfeit branded products. “The internet continues to be a major facilitator of IP crime as it utilises new and emerging platforms, such as social media, that have made it easier to post and share offerings for counterfeit goods and pirated content to an expanding audience,” said Europol.

Indeed, in social networks such as Facebook, Twitter or Instagram, counterfeiters can advertise their illegal products with just a few clicks, for example by posting photos and making them available to the public. To complete transactions, they often use encrypted messaging or chat services, as well as anonymous payment methods such as prepaid cards or online currencies. With this method, the counterfeiters try to avoid later tracking by the authorities. Europol’s declared goal is therefore to further analyze the extent of IP violations in social networks, to collect concrete evidence and to monitor social media.

Sources: Europol, Trademarks & Brands Online

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