Retail

Fake Law Enforcement Badges Still Available at eBay

Paul Ausick

Published: December 30, 2016 11:35 am

Last Updated: April 27, 2020 9:09 pm

Would you know an authentic county sheriff’s badge if someone dressed in a police uniform showed you one? How about an FBI badge from someone in a suit?

Fake badges are no kid’s toy these days. In fact, consumers can buy a fake badge, along with other official-looking identification materials, from marketplace sellers at eBay Inc. (NASDAQ: EBAY). Last June, The Counterfeit Report notified eBay CEO Devin Wenig and company general counsel, Marie Oh Huber, that fake badges and other materials for preparing fake credentials were available from eBay, but the company’s response has been limited at best.

According to The Counterfeit Report, federal, state and local laws regulate the sale or purchase of fake badges, and eBay’s stated policy to sellers on its website is the same as it was in June: “You can’t list replicas, fakes, counterfeits, or other illegal copies on eBay.”

The following photo was included in The Counterfeit Report’s Thursday press release with the following note:

The fake current style badges and the ID below are just some of dozens available or purchased on eBay. The identification cards were received from eBay sellers, made-to-order bearing the names and photos of California Attorney General Kamala Harris and U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch.

Source: The Counterfeit Report

The Counterfeit Report claims it has found more than “2.5 million counterfeits investigating less than a dozen eBay items, reported 1,839,977 items as the trademark holder’s agent for removal to eBay in 2016, and purchased and received over 2,300 brand-name counterfeit products from eBay sellers.”

For its part, eBay responded to these charges earlier this year:

Mr. Crosby (publisher of The Counterfeit Report), who is neither law enforcement nor a rights owner, professes to operate a website to promote counterfeit awareness. But in reality, he is only looking out for his own business interests and his own bottom line. Instead of working collaboratively with eBay to combat counterfeits — as we invited him to do — Mr. Crosby chose to operate outside eBay’s policies and file demonstrably meritless claims and litigation against the company. Recently, Mr. Crosby filed suit against eBay seeking alleged damages, which resulted in an arbitrator ruling in eBay’s favor and awarding fees incurred defending against what the arbitrator ruled were ‘frivolous claims.’

Counterfeits are not welcome on eBay. We’re committed to combatting the sale of counterfeit goods and have consistently been an Internet industry leader in working to stop the online sale of counterfeit goods. We utilize a combination of sophisticated detection tools, enforcement and strong relationships with brand owners, retailers and law enforcement agencies to combat bad activity and present our customers with a safe, trusted shopping experience. In addition, for merchants in particular, eBay proactively partners with retailers and manufacturers to combat the sale of stolen or counterfeit goods

In the rare case a buyer believes that he or she has purchased a counterfeit item, eBay’s Money Back Guarantee applies to virtually all transactions and will cover them accordingly.

The Counterfeit Report’s latest press release is available at the website.