GREEN BAY, Wis. (WBAY) - Days from the Green Bay Packers home opener, Consumer First Alert is helping fans avoid counterfeit products.
There are more fake products and bogus websites than ever. Fake sports products are big business.
If you’re shopping online, you have to be cautious -- especially, cybersecurity experts say, if you’re searching for deals on tickets or team merchandise, like Packers jerseys.
The CEO of BrandShield, a global cybersecurity company, shared examples of questionable websites with deep discounts.
Yoav Keren found “275 Packers-related domains that were registered just in July. I’m sure the Packers didn’t start 275 new websites.”
Keren added, “AI is becoming a significant tool in the hands of scammers. It is much easier today to create content that looks very reliable.”
The NFL teamed up with a division of the government, the National Intellectual Property Rights Coordination Center.
Ahead of this year’s Super Bowl 59, they announced they’d seized more than $39 million in counterfeit sports merchandise.
They want to educate fans. There’s a campaign called “[**Operation Team Player**](https://www.iprcenter.gov/opteamplayer)” with the motto “True fans keep it real.”
It’s helping shoppers spot fake ads and sketchy websites.
Also, how to tell the difference between real sports merchandise and knockoffs.
“Counterfeit goods hurt your favorite league, players, small businesses and you. Be a real fan. Skip the fakes,” an online video says.
Many people mistakenly think counterfeiting only affects large, wealthy organizations.
BrandShield’s CEO says purchasing fake merchandise can lead to serious issues like identity theft, because you gave the seller your personal and payment information.
“What BrandShield is doing is basically using AI in a good way. It’s our own, proprietary AI which is basically fighting the scams, first of all detecting these scams automatically online, analyzing them and prioritizing them, and we’re taking them down,” Keren said.
To help you “keep it real” and to protect yourself, consider these:
* Be cautious shopping online. If a deal seems too good to be true, it probably is.
* Criminals often use legitimate product photos when selling fraudulent items.
* Stick to trusted retail locations.
* Purchase tickets and team merchandise from authorized dealers.
* Keep records and confirmations of purchase. Check over the merchandise and report if there’s an issue with it.
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