ATLANTA — Officials at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport put travelers' skills to the test Wednesday as they tried to determine whether seized counterfeit items were, well, fake.
Last year, U.S. Customs and Border Protection seized nearly 25 million counterfeit goods with over 80% of them coming from China or Hong Kong.
Airport officials are making sure international travelers are aware of the dangers and negative impact of purchasing these items.
From designer bags and belts to Braves jerseys and even health and beauty products, U.S. Customs and Border Protection used items that they had seized right here in Atlanta to evaluate travelers abilities on spotting a fake.
Carlo Cortina, Assistant Port Director for U.S. Customs and Border Protection, explained today's event was apart of a larger multi-layered approach.
“This is a part of CBP’s strategic and multi-layered approach to combat the amount of counterfeit goods coming into the U.S. to protect our consumers and our industry partners," Cortina said.
Officials said the outreach is a way to get traveler's attention, and then share with them the dangers behind counterfeits. In some cases, travelers who purchase these goods can also face consequences.
“If somebody is traveling aboard and arriving in the U.S. and they declare that they purchased things abroad and if they determine it to be counterfeit or infringing on intellectual property rights – it will be seized," Cortina added.
Experts said the counterfeit industry poses a threat to consumer's health and the economic growth for our country.
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