Today’s online channels are the perfect ‘shop window’ for the sale of counterfeit goods, from luxury items to cosmetics, pharmaceuticals and even car parts. Given the boundless scope of the Internet, brand owners confront anonymous online counterfeit and grey market sellers more and more every day.
Research shows that one in six products sold online is identified as counterfeit, with 30% of all counterfeit seizures in the EU linked to Internet distribution channels. This is due to low operating costs, high levels of anonymity and uninhibited access to a global customer base.