Windsor Police Want You To Be On The Lookout for Parked Vans Selling Fake Merch

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Buyer beware — Windsor Police have issued a warning to the public that the sale of fake merchandise is on the rise in the Windsor area.

The Windsor Police Financial Crime Unit has received many reports of individuals selling merchandise out of the back of their vans or trucks, most often in the parking lots of big box stores.

Counterfeiters have been approaching citizens with sales that are generally “too good to be true”.

Unsuspecting victims have purchased items such as iPhones, perfume, boom box speakers, Beats by Dr. Dre headphones, power tools, hand bags and golf clubs.

Police say the sellers usually use a sales pitch along the lines of “these items are surplus” or “I came down to Windsor to deliver these items and they put extra on my truck. My boss (or company) won’t know, so I am offering the items deeply discounted”.

The items are not stolen and are typically counterfeit knock offs of the real items. The suspects make a quick sale (cash only) and flee the area.

Police say victims are left with substandard products that often don’t work.

Windsor Police want you to know that the sale of these items constitutes trademark infringement offences which are detailed in the Criminal Code of Canada.

Police are asking the public to report these types of scams if you see them taking place.