(FOX 2) - Four Michigan men accused of peddling counterfeit perfume and cologne online are now facing charges after allegedly selling fake products for years.
Attorney General Dana Nessel announced charges against Kyle McIntyre, Ahasan Khan, Bilal Ahmed, and Shuba Barua on Thursday for their roles in a massive counterfeit fragrance ring.
"This happens all too often," Nessel said, noting that the recent bust is one of the largest counterfeit product seizures in state history.
The backstory:
Nessel said her office was contacted by Walmart in October 2023 to assist with an investigation into a seller on the retailer's marketplace website. This came to Walmart's attention after legitimate fragrance brands became concerned and filed intellectual property rights complaints.
According to Nessel, that seller was McIntyre, a Port Huron man accused of selling more than $1 million worth of counterfeit products as a third-party seller on Walmart's marketplace.
In December 2023, authorities executed search warrants in Port Huron as part of that investigation. During that search, they seized more than 300 boxes full of knock-off perfume and cologne, Nessel said.
During the investigation, it was also discovered that McIntyre also allegedly sold the fake products on Amazon. His Amazon shop, Glow Beauty, received more than 100 complaints about counterfeit products over a two-year period, Nessel said,
As the investigation continued, authorities were able to track down McIntyre's wholesaler, 29-year-old Barua, of Sterling Heights. During a search of a warehouse belonging to Barua, Nessel said authorities seized more than 100,000 boxes of counterfeit fragrances.
The other suspects, Ahmed and Khan, were caught after investigators linked them to McIntyre and Barua. Nessel said those men also had accounts that they used to sell fake perfumes and colognes.
Some brands that the suspects were counterfeiting and selling include Victoria's Secret, Chanel, Abercrombie, and L'Oreal.
What's next:
McIntyre is charged with one count of conducting a criminal enterprise, six counts of possession of counterfeit goods, and one count of using a computer to commit a crime.
Khan, Ahmed, and Barua are each charged with one count of conducting a criminal enterprise, 13 counts of possession of counterfeit goods, and one count of using a computer to commit a crime.
They are expected to be arraigned soon.
Why you should care:
Nessel said counterfeit products, especially perfumes and colognes, are concerning because they come from unregulated plants and can contain unsafe chemicals.
"There’s simply no telling what’s inside a counterfeit perfume bottle," she said.
According to Nessel, testing in other instances of counterfeit fragrances has found animal urine, heavy metals, and harsh chemicals in these products. In this case, several synthetic chemicals that could be harmful were allegedly found in the products seized.
What you can do:
Ideally, shopping in person is the best way to ensure you are getting a legitimate product. However, since that is not always possible, Nessel said there are steps consumers can take to protect themselves when shopping online.
The biggest red flag, she said, is a price that seems unusually low.
"Always remember, if the price is too good to be true, it probably is," Nessel said.
If you purchase a counterfeit product and then learn it is fake, you are urged not to use the product and report it. This should be done even if the product meets your needs and appears to work as intended, since it could contain unsafe materials.
Customers can report suspected fake products to Amazon, which will investigate the claims and the sellers.
The Source: FOX 2 attended a press conference with AG Dana Nessel and other officials involved in the investigation to report this story.
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