Publicly admitting to selling fake goods, customers still order in droves
The items that are heavily advertised on cyberspace and e-commerce platforms are mainly fashion items, jewelry, accessories such as handbags, watches, etc. These trading sources all have in common that they do not disclose specific sales addresses.
On Facebook, an account named DuyWatch - Luxury & Diamond advertises itself as specializing in 1:1 luxury watches (which are copies or counterfeits of luxury brand watches) of two watch brands Rolex and Hublot, but with prices ranging from 5 to 15 million VND. This account also posts many pictures of successful transactions with customers to increase the trust of those who want to buy fake products.
Reporters contacted the phone number published in this account, the seller named Duy said that although it is a fake product, the product shell is made of high-quality stainless steel, the machine core is crafted to be 99.9% similar to the genuine version from the smallest details.
When the reporter asked for a specific address to see the goods directly, the seller refused to provide it and only agreed to let the customer see the goods through the shipper. If the customer is not satisfied, they can choose other models and exchange the product on the same day.
At another account that also specializes in high-end watches called RicciWatch, in recent days, sellers have been continuously advertising products for the upcoming Tet holiday.
The seller said that because this sales page can be locked at any time, customers can go to the Zalo group to see more models and avoid losing contact, and all customer list information will be kept absolutely confidential.
When the reporter went to the address publicly listed on the RicciWatch account at 27 Huynh Thuc Khang Street (Dong Da, Hanoi), it turned out to be a long alley with no specific address. If customers wanted to buy the product, they could only order it online.
Mr. Minh Vu (a watch repairman on Lang Street, Dong Da) revealed to reporters that most of the fake watches are brought back by traders from Hong Kong (China), Singapore and China.
“Wholesale owners love to hunt for watch brands such as Richard Mille, Rolex, Hublot... because the import price is not high but the retail price is very high” - Mr. Vu analyzed.
Need to take strong action against counterfeit goods and goods that violate intellectual property rights
Not only watches, on TikTok or some e-commerce platforms, there are still many stalls openly selling fake goods at super cheap prices compared to the price of genuine products such as Chanel, Louis Vuitton, Gucci...
Most recently, according to the Hanoi Market Management Department, on December 17, Market Management Team No. 17 coordinated with Team 6 PC03 (Hanoi City Police) to inspect a business establishment on Dai Mo Street (Dai Mo Ward, Nam Tu Liem District).
At the time of inspection of the goods at the facility, there were 5,215 products including fashion accessories (handbags, wallets) with labels and images of the brands YSL, Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Chanel, Jacquemus, Marc Jacobs, Coach, Dior, Celine, MCM, Prada, Miumiu, Pedro, MLB, Hermer, Charles & Keith.
All of the above goods showed signs of counterfeiting trademarks that are registered and protected in Vietnam.The owner of the goods could not present invoices and documents as required.The total value of the goods was over 700 million VND.
According to the Steering Committee for Anti-Smuggling, Trade Fraud and Counterfeit Goods (Steering Committee 389) of Hanoi City, in November 2024, the city's functional forces handled 1,801 cases of smuggling, trade fraud, counterfeit goods, prosecuted 6 cases (19 defendants), and collected 415 billion VND for the budget. Of which, the Hanoi Market Management Department inspected 359 cases, handled 355 administrative cases, imposed administrative fines of 3.86 billion VND, and the value of the violated goods was 2.91 billion VND.
Mr. Chu Xuan Kien - Director of Hanoi Market Management Department - said that the Lunar New Year is the peak shopping season, many businesses have promotions, so the authorities will control and strictly handle those who take advantage of this to consume smuggled and counterfeit goods produced abroad but labeled as Vietnamese businesses.
In particular, there will be focused and key control, clarifying the subjects of business, gathering, transporting prohibited goods, smuggled goods, and organized commercial fraud.
According to Mr. Nguyen Dang Sinh - Chairman of the Vietnam Association for Anti-Counterfeiting and Brand Protection, this phenomenon is not only selling counterfeit goods but also commercial fraud.
“Selling counterfeit goods but openly admitting they are counterfeit shows that the seller is deceiving about the origin of the goods and the brand. These two factors are violations of the law,” said Mr. Sinh.
