Get you up to speed: TikTok Influencers Charged for Selling Over £1 Million in Counterfeit Merchandise
City of London Police arrested six TikTok influencers for selling over £1.1million worth of counterfeit clothing from a warehouse in Rotherham.
DS Jamie Kirk of City of London Police emphasised the ongoing investigation into the promotion of counterfeit products via social media platforms like TikTok.
Six individuals arrested by City of London Police for selling counterfeit goods remain on bail as the investigation continues.
What we know so far
Six TikTok content creators were arrested in Rotherham for selling over £1 million worth of counterfeit clothing. The haul includes fake trainers and socks, discovered in a warehouse during a police raid.
Officers seized a total of 26,489 counterfeit items, filling four 18-tonne lorries, including nearly £1 million worth of fake branded trainers and £115,000 of counterfeit socks. A livestream was interrupted where one influencer was promoting these fake goods.
The investigation revealed that influencers misled viewers into believing they were selling genuine products. They also had ‘commission cheat sheets’ that incentivised them to sell counterfeit items. Authorities have warned buyers about the potential hazards of counterfeit clothing, including poor quality and health risks.
DS Jamie Kirk from City of London Police highlighted the shift in counterfeit sales from traditional markets to modern platforms, stating, “This case should send a clear message to anybody selling counterfeit goods online: it is illegal and we will take action.” The arrested individuals have since been released on bail as the investigation continues.
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TikTok influencers arrested for flogging over £1,000,000 in fake goods | News UK
A group of TikTok content creators were arrested for selling thousands of counterfeit clothes.
More than £1.1million of clothing, including trainers and socks believed to have been stolen, were found at a warehouse in Rotherham, South Yorkshire.
Officers also interrupted a man doing a livestream on TikTok to promote the fake goods.
A total of 26,489 items were seized on the premises, filling four 18-tonne lorries.
These included £988,700 of fake branded trainers and £115,000 of counterfeit socks.
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An investigation found that influencers were falsely claiming to sell genuine products in response to comments from Tiktok viewers.
It also uncovered ‘commission cheat sheets’ which offered content creators higher pay for each fake item they could flog.
Another clip shows the same influencer promoting ‘white Nike socks’.
‘Everything we sell is authentic guys. We wouldn’t be able to sell here if it wasn’t’, another influencer attempts to assure viewers.
Buyers have been warned that the counterfeit clothes were unlikely to be of good quality and are produced by workers in poor conditions.
Unlike genuine items, counterfeits usually wear out quicker and can also carry other risks such as being highly flammable and containing harmful chemicals.
Six people were arrested on suspicion of distributing goods bearing false trademark, under the Trademarks Act 1994.
They have all since been released on bail as an investigation continues.
DS Jamie Kirk, from City of London Police, said: ‘This investigation shows how the sale of counterfeit goods has evolved, moving from traditional market stalls to modern apps and online marketplaces. In this case, influencers were used to promote and sell counterfeit products to large audiences.
‘This case should send a clear message to anybody selling counterfeit goods online: it is illegal and we will take action.’