Feds confiscate counterfeit professional sports gear being sold at El Paso’s Fox Plaza
EL PASO, Texas -- While most people were sitting down for the big game over the weekend, Homeland Security Investigations - the investigative arm of the Department of Homeland Security - had other plans.
On Super Bowl Sunday, agent Jesse Lazcano was confiscating 331 counterfeit items being sold at Fox Plaza in El Paso.
"During these sporting events is when we see an up take in sales of jerseys of shoes, anything related to these teams, especially teams that are in the Super Bowl like the Chiefs and the 49ers," said agent Lazcano.
Along with the damage it does to the retailers that sell authentic gear, some of the clothing could cause you physical damage, officials say.
"You don't know what kind of material they could be using. We've had cases where people have had rashes or you know other issues to their skin where it can hurt. Especially for little kids," Lazcano told ABC-7.
Oscar Moreno, who manages Sports Xplosion, gave us some advice on how to check if your team sports wear is the real deal.
"A way you can tell is by the stitching inside of it. The logo's will be clear instead of just faded as you can see with the New Era. Its all clear and stitching too. It will have their label. Sometimes in a counterfeit a lot of the time it will have it faded inside and missed stitching," he explained.
Moreno also added, "Be careful what you are buying out there. Again there is a lot of counterfeit, if you have any questions come to us or any license store that really sells all of the licensed merchandise."
