In the past year, the Swiss Customs Administration confiscated countless shipments in more than 3,600 cases of the attempted importation of brand and product counterfeits, according to the agency’s annual report for 2015. The customs officers were able to secure counterfeits with a total value of some 24.1 million Swiss francs (approx. 21.8 million euro); in 2014 the value came to 4.1 million francs (approx. 3.7 million euro).
The majority of confiscated counterfeits originated, as in the previous year, from deceptive internet offers that Swiss consumers did not recognise as such. “We note that fraudulent online shops are increasingly professional. If you don’t look closely, you don’t recognize at first glance that there’s something fishy about them,” explained Sabine Dändliker, director of the Swiss STOP PIRACY initiative.
Purses, travelling bags, wallets, watches and jewelry made up the majority of the goods confiscated by Swiss customs – 90% altogether. In more than eight of ten registered cases, the illegal imitations originated from Asia, above all China and Hong Kong.
In order to sustainably combat piracy and make consumers aware of the dangers of counterfeits, STOP PIRACY cooperates closely with the SCA and offers relevant information on its website. To take one example of its activities, the non-profit produced a practical consumer guide to avoiding counterfeits and illegal offers online.
