HOUSTON — Fake merchandise is on the market in Houston and police are cracking down on fake Atlanta Falcons jerseys leading up to the big game.
Special Agent Richard Halverson, with Homeland Security, showed Channel 2’s Liz Artz what to look for when it comes to Super Bowl jerseys, T-shirts and souvenirs for the big game Sunday.
He showed Artz a bunch of merchandise that's already been confiscated.
"You can see the color difference fading away," Halverson said about some of the merchandise. “It’s missing the UPC code and no hologram."
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Halverson said counterfeiting is a $1 billion business in the U.S. and big events like the Super Bowl bring out illegal sellers.
"Where is it being sold? Is it being sold out of NFL store or a street corner trunk? Those are clues to look at," Halverson told Artz.
Halverson took Artz with him Wednesday as he searched for businesses selling illegal jerseys.
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He told her sometimes business owners with store fronts will pop up with fake merchandise around venues. He's expecting to see a lot of that this week.
"You're seeing one on the street for 30 bucks red flags probably should go up,” Halverson said.
Lifelong Falcons fan Marty Bray told Artz he's pretty sure the jersey he was wearing is authentic, but is mindful of counterfeiters.
“If it's relatively cheap, I might not look at it. But generally speaking, I will," Bray told Artz.
Halverson said where fans really get taken is Super Bowl tickets. He told Artz that state, local and federal officers have an operation underway to stop the sales.
“These tickets are going to be sold for $2,000 to $4,000 and on up makes them a prime target counterfeiter to replicate and sell," Halverson said.
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