Buyers should always be aware when buying memorabilia. But now sellers need to watch their backs as the NFL is cracking down on people selling fake memorabilia at and around the Super Bowl.
In the past five days, police and agents with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement have seized over 1,200 fake items in Glendale valued at over $140,000.
"Historically, major events such as the Super Bowl are a magnet for property rights fraud, and we're using all of our resources to go after the counterfeits and the counterfeiters." ~ said ICE Assistant Secretary Julie Myers
Between these kind of things and other unauthorized memorabilia floating around card shops and eBay, it makes one wonder what is safe to buy nowadays. A good rule of thumb is to always, always look for a COA no matter what piece of memorabilia you are buying.
However, some people even fake the COAs so you have to be well-aware of what a real COA looks like. The bigger the name, the more likely you have a legit item.
People that aren't careful and buy this items do three things that make the problem worse:
1. Profits generally go back into counterfeiting
2. Sellers see they can get away with some fakes and then try to make more and more
3. The buyers are getting ripped off without even knowing it
So I urge my readers to please be careful when buying memorabilia. Always double-check and ask the seller questions about the item. If they can't answer your question, I would be very skeptical.
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