U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers recently seized a combined 4,449 counterfeit LG and ASUS smart phones in Philadelphia. If the phones were authentic they would have had a manufacturer’s suggested retail price of $941,450.
Officers seized 2,043 counterfeit LG phones and then seized another shipment of 1,926 LG and 480 ASUS counterfeit smartphones on August 9. Each shipment, if authentic, would have had a retail price of $508,707 and $432,743 respectively.
Both shipments transited from China through the Dominican Republic to Philadelphia and were manifested as “cell phones used.” The phones will be destroyed.
During both seizures, officers inspected the shipment and submitted samples to U.S. Customs Electronics Centers for Excellence and Expertise, the agency’s trade experts, to determine authenticity of trademarks.
Consumer safety and trademark protection is one of Customs and Border Protection’s top trade enforcement priorities.
Importation of counterfeit merchandise can cause significant revenue loss, damage the U.S. economy and threaten the health and safety of the American people.
Casey Durst, is a Director of Field Operations for U.S. Customs said:
“In addition to substantial theft suffered by the lawful trademark holders, these counterfeit smartphones may also pose a financial security and health threat to American consumers due to the installation of identity theft software on the phones or the potential for counterfeit batteries to overheat and burn consumers.”
