Amazon’s Counterfeit Crimes Unit Strikes Again
Amazon is cracking down on luxury goods counterfeiters with lawsuits alleging a group of sellers conspired to pass off fake high-end merchandise via the online retailer.
The retail giant and its Counterfeit Crimes Unit (CCU) filed two lawsuits against Kamryn Russell, Ashley Hawat and unnamed co-conspirators for attempting to sell and advertise the sale of counterfeit luxury goods such as jewelry, handbags and other accessories.
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Both Russell and Hawat attempted to run “hidden links” schemes, posting links on their social media accounts that directed followers to seemingly generic product listings on Amazon. But the item listings were actually for counterfeit products, usually with the incriminating logo blurred to avoid detection by Amazon. Russell and Hawat told followers in their social media posts that they could purchase knockoff luxury bags and other products via the shared links. Both Hawat and Russell received commissions for sales via the links they shared on their social media channels.
In some of her posts, Hawat admits the item listings will likely be taken down due to their counterfeit nature, saying, “[Amazon] will be taking down so quickly!! Ordering this now!!”
“These bad actors knew exactly what they were doing when they attempted to evade Amazon’s brand protection systems to sell counterfeit products that clearly infringed on brands’ intellectual property rights,” said Kebharu Smith, director of Amazon’s CCU. “Content creators serve an important role for consumers around the globe, and these lawsuits not only seek to protect Amazon and the affected brands, but also seek to hold accountable those who diminish the role of legitimate content creators.”
This isn’t the first time Amazon’s CCU has gone after counterfeiters. The company reached a settlement in 2021 against another group of defendants attempting similar hidden links schemes via social media. That same year, Amazon seized and disposed of more than 3 million counterfeit products. In 2022, the retailer filed a joint lawsuit with Cartier against an individual and eight other businesses for a similar scheme. Also last year, it worked with Chinese authorities to seize counterfeits knocking off Puma and Hugo Boss.
Counterfeiting has long been an issue in the fashion industry. Luxury brands have typically been the targets of knockoffs, but in the last year, U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers have intercepted shipments of fake sports merchandise, as well as sneakers from Converse Chuck Taylor and Nike, an unfailingly popular target for counterfeiters.
