INDIANAPOLIS — Millions of dollars worth of counterfeit watches shipped to the U.S. from China were recently intercepted in Indianapolis, Customs and Border Protection announced Friday.

Officers spotted the Illinois-bound shipment of fake Audemars Piguet watches from Hong Kong on Wednesday.

The 300 watches were then examined by CBP trade experts, who seized the counterfeits for bearing “registered and recorded trademarks.”

(Provided Photo/Customs and Border Patrol)
(Provided Photo/Audemars Piguet)A counterfeit Audemars Piguet watch (left) compared side-by-side with an authentic Audemars Piguet Royal Oak self-winding watch (right).

If the watches had been legitimate or sold at market retail value, they would have been worth around $12 million.

Michael Pfeiffer, CBP’s acting director of field operations at the Chicago Field Office, says funds from these counterfeit sales often fund criminal organizations.

“Proceeds from the sale of counterfeit goods have been found to fund criminal organizations who are often also involved in money laundering, drug trafficking, and other illicit trade,” Pfeiffer said. “As consumers increasingly purchase from online or third-party vendors, our officers are at the frontline to guard against defrauders expecting to make money selling fake merchandise.”

Customs says watches are at higher risk of being counterfeited, along with items like handbags, wallets, apparel, footwear, jewelry, and electronics.

“Counterfeit goods can often be spotted by their inferior quality,” the agency said. “Peeling labels, low-quality ink or printing errors on the packaging, and the quality of the packaging can be signs that the product you purchased may not be legitimate.”

Other details like poor stitching, improper sizing, or shorter battery lives for electronics can also be giveaways of the product’s counterfeit nature.

More information on spotting counterfeit goods when shopping online or in-person can be found on Customs and Border Protection’s website.