Counterfeits are fake or copy products made with the intent to deceptively represent the original content or origins. The word counterfeit most frequently describes forgeries of currency or documents, but today almost every conceivable product has suffered at the hands of the counterfeiters. Carratu has conducted anti-counterfeiting investigations into a wide range of counterfeits including apparel and accessories, media products, pharmaceuticals, medical devices, vehicle parts, toys, food and beverages.

Counterfeit products account for at least 10% of all world trade, a cost to the global economy of up to $400 billion per year. Most successful brands attract the attention of counterfeiters at some point during their lifetime and the impact of such abuse can be highly damaging: not only does it dilute legitimate sales, but without proper anti counterfeiting measures fake products can destroy customer confidence and drastically devalue the brand asset.

Rather naively, counterfeiting is still regarded by many as a victimless crime, but nothing could be further from the truth. Counterfeits are linked to organised crime and international terrorist groups, who use them as a lower risk means of raising funds than more traditional methods such as drugs, arms, extortion and vice.

For more than four decades we have offered brand owners and their legal representatives’ bespoke investigative solutions to assist in anti-counterfeiting programs. Building up a comprehensive picture of the supply chain and identifying those responsible is part of the anti-counterfeiting process thus enabling targeted enforcement at source, rather than simply reacting to an isolated incident.