Counterfeit Crisis: Feds Fight Flood of Fake Foreign Goods
90% are Chinese-made
NOTE: This story has been updated with news about the seizure of a $143 million counterfeit collectible car in Houston! (Scroll down toward the end of this article for that.)
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Agents have seized millions of dollars' worth of counterfeit goods as they entered the country in recent days. It's a significant problem that's worsening, and one that the CBP says is hitting all of us in our pocketbooks.
Over the last four years, the CBP reports that its seizures of fake foreign-made goods entering the US have more than doubled. During that time, the real makers of those products have more than quadrupled what we are charged for them to offset those losses.
The scope of the challenge the CBP faces in stopping Americans from being duped by these counterfeit goods is enormous.
Let’s look at some recent examples:
During the 2024 fiscal year, CBP conducted over 32,000 seizures with an estimated manufacturer’s suggested retail price of over $5.4 billion, had the goods been genuine.
On June 19 and June 20, 2025, alone, CBP Officers around the country intercepted five shipments of fake jewelry worth more than $25 million as they entered the country.
And that's just the tip of the iceberg.
Consider:
In April, CBP Agents in Pittsburgh inspecting what was supposed to be a shipment of "ladies handbags" from the United Arab Emirates found it also contained thirteen Rolex knock-offs worth $573,200, as well as fake designer sunglasses purported to have been made by Burberry, Chanel, Gucci, Miu Miu, and Valentino.
On June 17, 2025, CBP Agents examining an imported shipment of "mobile phone accessories" found 480 pairs of counterfeit "Apple" headphones and earbuds that would have retailed for more than $322,000 had they been genuine.
Last month, in Houston, CBP Agents made an even larger seizure of Apple-compatible accessories.
They confiscated 373,000 "lightning" cables in counterfeit packaging of an authorized third-party manufacturer whose products are Apple MfI certified (Made for iPhone/iPad/iPod), which reassures buyers they won't damage their Apple devices.
The CBP states that the retail value of these fakes exceeded $7 million.
And, just last week, CBP Officers at the Port of New York/Newark seized over 24,000 pieces of counterfeit Nike apparel. The shipment would have cost consumers $1.2 million, had the products been genuine.
In addition to defrauding US consumers, Chinese counterfeiters are also ripping off US taxpayers.
For example, CBP Officers are regularly finding large shipments of fake US Postal Service "Forever Stamps" like those shown below, which were likely counterfeited in Hong Kong.
(The CBP notes that Chinese and Hong Kong-made counterfeits accounted for 90% of all the fake goods they seized in 2024)
This particular shipment, which arrived in Birmingham in February 2025, consisted of 200,000 counterfeit US Postal Service stamps valued at $146,000.
What's particularly frustrating to CBP Officers is that many of these fake goods are knowingly ordered by US consumers.
Before the beginning of each college semester, for example, CBP Agents know to be on the lookout for Chinese-made counterfeit US driver's licenses purchased online by under-21-year-old students so that they can buy alcohol.
The fake licenses shown in the photo below were among 984 that CBP Officers found hidden within imported laptop chargers, plastic mirrors, and jewelry boxes seized at Chicago O'Hare's International Mail Facility during just one week earlier this year.
And, as noted at the top of this article, soon after I filed this story, U.S. Customs and Border Protection announced that its agents at the Houston Seaport had seized what appeared to be a highly collectible car that would have been worth $143 million had it been the genuine article.
The CBP says the “counterfeit” car bore fake 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR “Uhlenhaut-Coupé” marks.
Only two 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR “Uhlenhaut-Coupés” are known to have been made. One that sold at auction in 2022 set a Guinness World Record as the most expensive car ever sold.
The CBP has not released details about where this counterfeit coupe originated or where it was destined.
Should China (and other countries) be required to do more to stop the flood of these counterfeits into our country (or face punishment if they do not?
Share your opinion in the comments on this article!
Abrazos,
Jack Beavers
Is China already penalized in some way? What happens to the goods? The Pres. Needs to deal with this in trade talks for sure. Personally I would like all Chinese products banned.
As a consignor of name brands, fakes, ruin some sales to my favorite seller. It is a big problem. Yes, I agree ban CHINA and anyone else who is mass producing these Fakes.