Almost R300 000 worth of counterfeit goods seized

“Through further investigation, we were led to a warehouse filled with DVDs and music CDs.”

October 26, 2016

Reitumetse Mahope 2 minutes read

Counterfeit goods valued at just under R300 000 were seized in Pretoria Central recently.

Police spokesperson Anton Breedt said police were tipped off about a man travelling from Soshanguve to Bloed Mall to collect counterfeit brands.

He said the 27-year-old-man was found and arrested.

“Through further investigation, we were led to a warehouse filled with DVDs and music CDs,” said Breedt.

He said the police confiscated the goods with counterfeit brands.

“The man will appear in the Pretoria Magistrate’s Court to face charges of possession of goods with counterfeit brands,” he said.

Breedt said consumers should note that purchasing pirated or illegally-made products was a crime.

Breedt offered tips to consumers in spotting counterfeit brands:

Consumers should check the bottom of the CD, because it was the most common and easiest way to spot counterfeit branded DVDs and CDs.

“Recordable discs have a green, purple, or other colour tint unlike the traditional CD and DVD,” said Breedt.

How to tell if the disc is real or fake.

He said when CDs and DVDs are made, the data contained on them is stamped onto the disc and not burned, which was something consumers had to check.

Breedt said the labels on the packaging could also indicate if the brand was real or fake.

“If the disc label is handwritten with a marker or looks as if the label was printed by an inkjet printer, it is obviously a counterfeit branded CD or DVD,” he said.

He said it was a problem that many dealers were becoming more sophisticated and capable of matching authentic labels.

Breedt said counterfeit labelled goods were also set at prices too good to be true. A new release of a DVD would not cost R15 or R20.

Another method consumers could use to spot the authenticity of the material was to check if there was any branding or lack of branding on the packaging.

DVDs with brand houses on their packaging.

“Counterfeiters of DVDs and CDs brands would not use brand houses on their packaging as this would lead them into more charges, meaning a lengthier prison sentence,” he said.