NSW Fair Trading Minister Matthew Mason-Cox today said Fair Trading raided a Western Sydney retail outlet selling counterfeit Nike brand footwear, assorted designer label clothing and accessories.

Mr Mason-Cox said more than 450 pairs of assorted counterfeit shoes, in excess of 350 assorted items of counterfeit clothing, and over 150 counterfeit purses, handbags and wallets had been seized as a result of yesterday’s raid.

“The raid follows an ongoing Fair Trading surveillance operation targeting counterfeit goods in the marketplace involving both covert and overt investigation strategies”, he said.

“Consumers are tired of being ripped off and tricked into paying top dollar for highly sort after products, only to discover soon after that their purchase is a fake”, he said.

“Earlier this month, Fair Trading seized more than 8,000 counterfeit make-up products from three locations across Sydney. The investigation followed consumer complaints about make-up products they had purchased, including one woman who had the skin on her face burnt after using a fake Mac foundation.

Fair Trading successfully prosecuted, Michael Lam, a Paddy’s Markets trader for selling counterfeit football clothing earlier this year. He was ordered to pay fines and costs of $17,180 by Parramatta Local Court.

“These recent raids should be treated as a warning to retailers who are out in the marketplace selling fake goods that Fair Trading is watching and that if you continue to engage in this ill conduct, it’s only a matter of time before you will be caught, said Mr Mason-Cox

“Fair Trading is working closely with brand protection experts to ensure fake goods are removed from sale.

Mr Mason-Cox said while consumer protections exist under the Australian Consumer Law, it is not always easy to spot a fake, so consumers are urged to buy their products from a reputable trader.

“You are more likely to have your consumer rights enforced under the Australian Consumer Law if you buy from a well-recognised and established trader,” he said.

“Businesses that make false and misleading statements about the price, value or quality of the consumer goods they sell face fines of up to $22,000 for an individual and $1.1million for a company.”