Faking it: sophisticated Chinese counterfeiters even create Hong Kong store receipts to fool knock-off luxury goods buyers

Reading Time:3 minutes

A fake black lambskin Chanel bag being offered for 6,340 yuan at a Chinese wholesale market in Wuhan – complete with counterfeit receipts suggesting it was originally bought in a store in Hong Kong's Prince's Building for HK$39,800. Photo: Xinhua

Published: 4:00pm, 12 Oct 2015Updated: 11:54am, 23 Jan 2018

Chinese retailers of knock-off luxury merchandise are so sophisticated that they are even providing fake invoices and credit card receipts to fool customers that the products were bought in Hong Kong, state media reports.

An undercover investigation carried out in eight mainland provinces and cities by Xinhua news agency, which was reported on Sunday, also found that the trade in counterfeit goods remains vibrant despite an official crackdown on the practice.

Reporters found that the barcodes of some fake receipts actually displayed the genuine addresses of Hong Kong stores.

Collaboration between online vendors and shops is also commonplace. Customers shopping online are able to access catalogues of products that claim to be from Hong Kong stores selling luxury brands, but in reality they are high quality knock-offs, Xinhua said.

Fake receipts, which are offered on the mainland, along with the counterfeit goods to convince potential buyers the items are genuine, were also being openly bought and sold, an investigation revealed. Photo: Xinhua

The recent investigation took place in Beijing and Shanghai, and other cities in the provinces of Guangdong, Zhejiang, Jiangsu, Fujian, Hunan and Hubei,

It said a wholesale market in Wuhan was found to be selling counterfeit Prada, Chanel, Burberry, Louis Vuitton merchandise for between 200 yuan (HK$243) and 5,000 yuan.