Counterfeit and Forgery

Four raids, led by the City of London Police’s Intellectual Property Crime Unit (PIPCU), the North West Police Intellectual Property Crime Unit and Greater Manchester Police, have uncovered an estimated £15 million worth of branded clothing, shoes, electricals, watches, jewellery, and perfume suspected to be counterfeit. Suspected counterfeit medication was also found and seized.

Huge three day police operation in Cheetham Hill saw £15m worth of counterfeit goods seized and seven arrests | City of London Police (cds.co.uk)

A fraudster has been jailed after helping speeding drivers avoid prosecution by falsifying police documents.

Fraudster jailed for scam to help speeding drivers avoid justice (msn.com)

Researchers at the University of Warwick have developed a technique that identifies every banknote’s ‘unique and unclonable’ fingerprint, which could help prevent the increasing exchange of counterfeit banknotes.

Fingerprint technique could help prevent banknote fraud | E&T Magazine (theiet.org)

Criminals are exploiting whatever opportunities arise to defraud the public, most recently pouncing on last Sunday’s official Census in England and Wales.

Scammers Abound – But New Turing £50 Note Built To Thwart Fakers – Forbes Advisor UK

Vaccine passports and certificates are gaining mainstream traction, which means cyber criminals are also on the bandwagon

Cyber criminals forging Covid-19 vaccine certificates (computerweekly.com)

A new unit set up to tackle intellectual property fraud in the north west has already seized £1.7m worth of fake goods, including clothes, electricals and fireworks.

https://colp.mpw.cds.co.uk/news/city-of-london/news/2021/march/city-of-london-police-launch-new-intellectual-property-unit-in-the-north-west/

The Anglo-Swedish drugs giant said there is no private sector supply of their jab available on the market. The warning comes after reports of individuals approaching a number of European governments claiming to have extra doses of the Oxford-produced vaccine for sale. An AstraZeneca spokeswoman said: "Our current focus is delivering on our substantial global commitments to governments and international health organisations, as quickly as possible to help end the pandemic.

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/world/astrazeneca-warning-firm-issues-fraud-alert-as-eu-nations-offered-grey-market-jabs/ar-BB1e2DBu?ocid=st

The UK Government is still failing to do enough to protect the public from counterfeit fraudsters, according to the Anti-Counterfeiting Group (ACG).

Counterfeiting is a major problem for many industries, but in healthcare it can be a matter of life and death. While counterfeiters might be nimble, the industry is also finding new ways of tackling the issue

https://www.raconteur.net/legal/intellectual-property/counterfeiting-healthcare/

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - European Union governments should be on guard against fraudsters offering fake COVID-19 vaccines, the bloc's anti-fraud office said on Monday, as the continent struggles to roll out mass inoculation while lockdowns ravage its economy.