Collectors and fans vie for championship rings from their favorite collegiate and professional sports teams, with some paying exorbitant prices for the real thing.
According to Customs and Border Protection, third-party vendors are selling counterfeit replicas of these rings for high prices, defrauding consumers out of a lot of money. Real championship rings are crafted with valuable stones and yellow or white gold.
Most counterfeit rings are made of low-cost materials and phony gemstones, are of poor quality, and have faults.
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US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officials in Cincinnati recently confiscated a consignment containing 90 counterfeit Kansas championship rings bearing the recognized trademarks of the National Football League, National Collegiate Athletic Association, and Major League Baseball.
The parcel was intercepted on March 21. A non-intrusive X-ray examination yielded inconclusive results, and a physical exam was required.
Inside, officers found 40 2019 Kansas City Chief Super Bowl rings, 20 1969 Kansas City Chiefs Super Bowl Rings, 15 1985 Kansas City Royals rings, and 15 2022 Kansas Jayhawks championship rings. The interdicted rings were sent to an Import Specialist from the Consumer Products and Mass Merchandising Center for evaluation.
The specialist noticed the rings were of poor quality, had inferior packaging, had a low declared value, had been inaccurately declared, and lacked security features. The merchandise was deemed inauthentic and seized for bearing counterfeit trademarks. The Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price would have been $2.71 million had the rings been genuine.
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“Purchasing counterfeit sports memorabilia defunds our sports organizations, and the money profited from selling fake merchandise such as championship rings, is used to damage the United States economy and fund criminal enterprises.” said LaFonda D. Sutton-Burke, Director of Field Operations (DFO), Chicago Field Office. The DFO further added, “I am proud of the officers in Cincinnati, they work hard to protect our domestic businesses and stop illegal shipments.”
The shipment originated from Hong Kong and was destined to a residence in Atchison, Kansas. The shipment appeared to be a person-to-person transaction, which is a common tactic used by counterfeiters.
This technique involves sending a shipment to one person. This person will then mail smaller addressed and prepackaged parcels concealed inside this larger shipment. This person then pays for shipping to the U.S. address, thus bypassing further scrutiny.
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