Mooncake and lantern counterfeiters busted

Wallis Wang

Customs busted three shops and two online accounts selling counterfeit mooncakes and lanterns worth HK$28,000 as the Mid-Autumn Festival approaches.

Two men and three women aged between 21 and 70 were arrested, while samples of the seized mooncakes will be sent to the government laboratory for safety testing, said the Customs and Excise Department.

The seized items include counterfeit Maxim's lava custard mooncakes, as well as fake luxury brand packaging such as Louis Vuitton, Gucci and Hermes.

Senior inspector of the department's Intellectual Property Investigation Bureau, Liu Man-chun, said officers carried out cyber patrols and found some people were selling counterfeit mooncakes online.

Officers then posed as customers to contact the sellers, according to Liu, and identified two accounts suspected of selling counterfeit products. They also raided a residential unit in Southern District, seizing 26 boxes of suspected counterfeit mooncakes and 28 pieces of counterfeit tableware.

He added that Louis Vuitton, a brand primarily known for its leather goods and clothes, was one of the impersonated brands. Despite never designing or manufacturing the mooncakes or tableware, the fake products sold online for HK$600 to HK$800.

The counterfeit Maxim's mooncakes replicated the package design and trademark of genuine products, but they misspelled an English word on the package, Liu said.

"The genuine mooncakes have the word 'magical' printed on the boxes, while the suspected counterfeit mooncakes have spelled 'magieal'," he explained.

Maxim's official mobile application did not verify the counterfeit mooncakes, nor did they pass official authentication, he added.

Liu said a box of Maxim's mooncakes is sold for HK$284, while the fake product cost HK$220.

The department is concerned about the safety of the counterfeit mooncakes when eaten and has sent the samples to the laboratory for testing, he said.

Meanwhile, customs also seized 540 suspected counterfeit lanterns while inspecting three retail shops in Tuen Mun and Yuen Long.

Adorned with popular cartoon characters, the lanterns were sold for HK$8 to HK$40 each, with only 20 to 30 percent being authentic, Liu noted.

Customs are investigating the source of the counterfeit goods and are stepping up inspections as the Mid-Autumn Festival approaches, while urging consumers to purchase goods from reputable vendors.

wallis.wang@singtaonewscorp.com