CINCINNATI, Ohio — 'Tis the season for counterfeit goods. 

Cincinnati Customs and Border Protection (CBP) seized 200 counterfeit jerseys with unapproved and inauthentic autographs from athletes over the past week. Their cumulative value would have stood at $42,625 had they been real.

The jerseys, all of which originated in the Philippines, were printed with the signatures of Jason Witten of the Las Vegas Raiders; Minkah Fitzpatrick of the Pittsburgh Steelers; Dwayne Haskins of the Washington Football Team; and Rod Carew formerly of the Minnesota Twins and California Angels. Before being seized, they were headed to a warehouse in Nashville. 

Haskins' jersey. Image courtesy of CBP.

“Counterfeiters only care about making a profit,” said Cincinnati Port Director Richard Gillespie. “They don’t care about the effect their fake product has on you, your family, or your job. Our officers are well-trained to find seizures like these, to continue our mission of protecting the American public and the American economy."

The jerseys are just a fraction of what the organization seizes. In FY20, CBP seized 26,503 shipments of counterfeit goods with a cumulative price tag of $1.3 billion had they been genuine. Apparel and accessories are common among seizures, but fake medical supplies were also significant in the year of COVID-19.

CBP has seized over 13.5 million counterfeit face masks and more than 177,000 unapproved COVID-19 test kits since the start of the pandemic.

As holiday shopping is well underway, CBP encourages you to be aware of counterfeit and pirated goods, especially while shopping online. The organization also has an educational initiative to raise consumer awareness about the consequences and dangers of buying counterfeit and pirated goods.

Haeli Spears is a digital producer with Spectrum News 1 Kentucky. She is a University of Louisville graduate who started her career with Spectrum News in May, 2020.