Page 15 of 15 FirstFirst ... 5131415
Results 211 to 224 of 224

Thread: Chinese Counterfeits, Fakes & Knock-Offs

  1. #211
    Join Date
    Jan 1970
    Location
    Fremont, CA, U.S.A.
    Posts
    47,907

    ttt 4 2020!

    Fake NYE drone celebration?

    Shanghai’s New Year’s Eve drone show spectacular didn’t actually happen
    What a way to kick off 2020!
    by Alex Linder January 2, 2020 in News



    Ever since 36 people were killed on the Bund as 2014 became 2015, New Year’s Eve festivities in Shanghai have been rather subdued.

    Which is why we were rather surprised to see videos circulating around on Twitter of an apparent NYE light show spectacular on the Bund featuring nearly 2,000 drones. Those drones “took over the night sky” forming various shapes and patterns including a “running man” and a countdown clock right beside the Oriental Pearl Tower.

    Video of the show has been shared by Chinese media outlets as well as international ones, including even the New York Times, impressing people around the globe with the innovative replacement to air pollution-causing fireworks.



    The New York Times

    @nytimes
    In Shanghai, revelers welcomed in the new year with a drone display forming various shapes and patterns against the night sky over the Huangpu River https://nyti.ms/2QAiW8R

    Embedded video
    34K
    3:40 PM - Dec 31, 2019
    Twitter Ads info and privacy
    12.1K people are talking about this
    However, there’s just one problem. People who were on the Bund on the night of New Year’s Eve say they didn’t see anything in the night sky. No drones. No nothing.

    Patrick Cox
    @PatrickCoxII
    This blows my mind because it’s 100% Chinese fake news. We stood outside last night for a show that never happened lol

    Shanghai Welcomes 2020 With Spectacular Drone Light Show https://youtu.be/UKnt_6I0m3s via @YouTube

    YouTube ‎@YouTube

    7
    8:11 PM - Dec 31, 2019
    Twitter Ads info and privacy
    See Patrick Cox's other Tweets
    Abraham Pérez🇪🇸
    @AbrahamPrez25
    Replying to @pajolicoe and 2 others
    I was in the Bund on New Years Eve right in that time and nothing happened. All the drones display is fake.

    1
    6:27 AM - Jan 1, 2020
    Twitter Ads info and privacy
    See Abraham Pérez🇪🇸's other Tweets
    A Reddit thread has been opened on the Shanghai subforum discussing this mysterious issue. One commenter points to a YouTube video that purportedly captured the New Year’s Eve festivities on the Bund.

    In the video, a large crowd gathers on the Bund to watch with their cell phone cameras at ready as the clock strikes midnight. Observers get a bit excited as the lights go out in the Pudong skyscrapers… but are disappointed when those lights simply go back on a few seconds later with nothing actually happening.
    continued next post
    Gene Ching
    Publisher www.KungFuMagazine.com
    Author of Shaolin Trips
    Support our forum by getting your gear at MartialArtSmart

  2. #212
    Join Date
    Jan 1970
    Location
    Fremont, CA, U.S.A.
    Posts
    47,907

    Continued from previous post

    You can watch the video below. The countdown starts at around 02:50:


    When asked about the purported “drone show,” the person who shot the video responds: “No drones last night. Shame as it would have been cool to see. Not sure where the video came from but it appears to be the only video showing drones and has been reposted many times.”

    On Weibo, video of the drones flying over the Huangpu River have caused similar confused comments. “Did I go to the wrong place? I was on the Bund!” writes one netizen. “There was really no celebration. This year’s NYE was cold and cheerless,” writes another.

    Another video shows a large crowd of people counting down on the Bund with nothing happening as they reach zero. “New Year’s Eve is a Western holiday,” justifies one Weibo user.



    However, a video posted onto Weibo does show the drone show over the Huangpu with the running man and 2020 spelled out. The video is dated December 29.

    Our best, most charitable, explanation for this whole head-scratcher is that this was a practice run for a planned New Year’s Eve show that didn’t end up happening for some reason. Packaged footage of the show was always going to be from this practice run, in case something should go wrong on the big night.

    And not even the show failing to take place ended up changing these plans.
    THREADS
    Happy New Year!
    Chinese Counterfeits, Fakes & Knock-Offs
    Gene Ching
    Publisher www.KungFuMagazine.com
    Author of Shaolin Trips
    Support our forum by getting your gear at MartialArtSmart

  3. #213
    Join Date
    Jan 1970
    Location
    Fremont, CA, U.S.A.
    Posts
    47,907

    Chinese Counterfeits, Fakes & Knock-Offs

    Gene Ching
    Publisher www.KungFuMagazine.com
    Author of Shaolin Trips
    Support our forum by getting your gear at MartialArtSmart

  4. #214
    Join Date
    Jan 1970
    Location
    Fremont, CA, U.S.A.
    Posts
    47,907

    fake golf clubs


    120,000 fakes seized in largest golf counterfeit raid ever

    By Mike Stachura



    For those who think the counterfeit business in golf clubs has dried up and gone dark, guess again. A raid in China just turned up 120,000 phony golf products, the largest counterfeit golf equipment seizure in history.

    The raid was the result of the joint efforts of the U.S. Golf Manufacturers Anti-Counterfeiting Working Group and 100 local Shanghai police officers, who raided 10 facilities at the same time operating in the online equipment business. Products included clubs and clubheads, shafts, grips and bags.

    “We are thrilled that Chinese police were willing to take serious action against online counterfeits even during the pandemic,” said Kristin Strojan, legal counsel, trademark and brand protection at TaylorMade. “Counterfeiters have been taking advantage of the current situation, and counterfeit listings have become more rampant on the internet. We never stopped watching them even during these challenging times and continue to work with authorities worldwide to target online counterfeit sellers aggressively. This raid action sends a very strong message to the market that the Golf Group has zero tolerance for counterfeit products and will continue to monitor the marketplace, both online and offline, to maintain the integrity of the game.”

    The Shanghai raid involved operators that primarily distribute products to online retailers, all of whom do the majority of their business outside the U.S. During the raid 15 people were detained and later arrested. According to a press release, “The entire network, from the manufacturer of the club heads, shaft and grip suppliers, to owners of assembling workshops, shipping center and online chatting rooms, was rooted out completely.”

    According to officials with the Working Group, the counterfeit sales were coming from the Chinese online site Taobao, the world’s largest e-commerce site that is a consumer-to-consumer site much like ebay. The sellers were named “prettyspor” and “buddygolf.” The products, representing the brands Titleist, TaylorMade, PXG, Ping, Callaway, and XXIO, would have shipped directly from China.

    According to the Working Group, more than two million golf counterfeits are produced each year. Across all industries it’s estimated the total value of counterfeit products globally is expected to reach $1.8 trillion by the end of this year.

    A general rule of thumb for consumers wary of purchasing a counterfeit piece of golf equipment is to make sure the purchase is from an authorized retailer. The Working Group also cautions against consumers making purchases from online vendors based in China that they are unfamiliar with.

    The Working Group is made up of six of the largest golf manufacturers in the world, including Acushnet (the parent of Titleist and FootJoy), Callaway (including Odyssey), SRI (Cleveland, Srixon and XXIO), Ping, PXG and TaylorMade.
    Some things never change...
    Gene Ching
    Publisher www.KungFuMagazine.com
    Author of Shaolin Trips
    Support our forum by getting your gear at MartialArtSmart

  5. #215
    Join Date
    Jan 1970
    Location
    Fremont, CA, U.S.A.
    Posts
    47,907

    Counterfeit airpods...wait..what?

    Bragging is never good.


    U.S. Customs brags about seizing 'counterfeit Apple AirPods.' Uh, those are OnePlus Buds.



    IMAGE: ONEPLUS
    BY STAN SCHROEDER
    11 HOURS AGO

    Well, this is embarrassing: the Customs and Border Protection seems to have seized 2,000 OnePlus Buds, thinking they're counterfeit Apple AirPods.

    It sounds hard to believe, but a CBP press release (via The Verge) lays out the facts quite clearly.

    "On August 31, CBP officers seized 2,000 counterfeit Apple Airpod Earbuds from Hong Kong destined for Nevada at an air cargo facility located at John F. Kennedy International Airport. If the merchandise were genuine, the Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price (MSRP) would have been $398,000," the press release says.

    The problem is that the release contains two photos of what appear to be perfectly genuine OnePlus Buds.

    If anything, these are counterfeit OnePlus Buds, not Apple AirPods.


    IMAGE: CBP

    CBP's caption under one of the images clearly states that these are "counterfeit Apple Airpod Earbuds seized."

    CBP also proudly tweeted the accomplishment with the caption: "That's not an (Apple emoji)." Erm, no, it clearly isn't.

    “The interception of these counterfeit earbuds is a direct reflection of the vigilance and commitment to mission success by our CBP Officers daily," Troy Miller, Director of CBP’s New York Field Operations, said in a statement.

    An error of some sort has clearly been made here. Yes, the OnePlus Buds do look a lot like Apple's AirPods, but they're not counterfeit goods. If anything, the buds shown in CBP's photo could be counterfeit OnePlus Buds, and not AirPods. Or perhaps an entirely wrong photo has been used? It's a mystery.

    OnePlus, meanwhile, is having a bit of fun with the situation.

    Mashable has contacted CBP to find more; we'll update the post when we hear back.
    Gene Ching
    Publisher www.KungFuMagazine.com
    Author of Shaolin Trips
    Support our forum by getting your gear at MartialArtSmart

  6. #216
    Join Date
    Jan 1970
    Location
    Fremont, CA, U.S.A.
    Posts
    47,907

    Fake Vax

    China arrests leader of fake vaccine scam
    Published20 hours ago
    China has vaccinated about 40 million people to date.
    China has arrested the leader of a multi-million dollar scam that passed off saline solution and mineral water as Covid-19 vaccines.

    The man, identified as Kong, had researched the packaging designs of real vaccines before making more than 58,000 of his own concoctions.

    A batch of the vaccines were smuggled overseas, but it is not known where they were sent to.

    Kong is among 70 people who have been arrested for similar crimes.

    The arrests, involving more than 20 cases, came as Beijing vowed to crack down on fraudulent vaccines.

    Even though most of the cases surfaced late last year, new details were released this week.

    According to a court ruling, Kong and his team made a profit of 18m yuan ($2.78m; £2m) by putting saline solution or mineral water in syringes and hawking them as Covid vaccines since August last year.

    A batch of 600 of these vaccines were sent to Hong Kong last November, before they were shipped abroad. The sales were made on the basis the vaccines were acquired via "internal channels" of genuine manufacturers.

    In other cases, counterfeit vaccines were sold at inflated prices in hospitals. Other criminals also conducted inoculation programmes of their own and had "village doctors" vaccinate people with fake jabs in their homes and cars.

    China's highest prosecuting body, the Supreme People's Procuratorate has urged regional agencies to cooperate with the police to curb such activities.

    Officials had hoped to administer 100 million Covid doses before the Lunar New Year last week, but have only vaccinated 40 million people so far. However, the country has largely managed to bring the pandemic under control with strict lockdown, testing and tracing measures.

    threads
    Coronavirus-(COVID-19)-Wuhan-Pneumonia
    Chinese-Counterfeits-Fakes-amp-Knock-Offs
    Gene Ching
    Publisher www.KungFuMagazine.com
    Author of Shaolin Trips
    Support our forum by getting your gear at MartialArtSmart

  7. #217
    Join Date
    Jan 1970
    Location
    Fremont, CA, U.S.A.
    Posts
    47,907

    I really want to see this now

    Chinese movie China Captain slammed as rip-off of Marvel films

    China Captain was released on Tencent Video streaming website on May 18.PHOTO: MAOYAN/WEIBO
    Lim Ruey Yan
    PUBLISHEDMAY 26, 2021, 5:06 PM SGT

    SINGAPORE - A Chinese web movie featuring an assortment of characters from Chinese folklore and novels has been slammed for ripping off Marvel's superhero movies.

    China Captain - the title of the movie echoes Marvel's Captain America - was released on Tencent Video streaming website on May 18.

    The story tells of a group of Chinese heroes who declare war on a bunch of foreign superheroes who have encroached on their turf in China.

    The movie, directed by He Yizheng, stars relatively unknown actors such as Zheng Xiaofu, Li Taiyan and Du Qiao.

    It features characters such as the Monkey King from the classic novel Journey To The West, eccentric monk Ji Gong and late gongfu star Bruce Lee.

    There are also characters from late author Louis Cha's martial arts novels such as Yang Guo, Wei Xiaobao and Dongfang Bubai.

    Some characters seem to have superpowers, such as Justice Bao from the Song Dynasty firing laser beams from his crescent-moon shaped birthmark on his forehead; and Guan Yu from the Three Kingdoms period having laser-like eyes.

    Some Chinese netizens said it was so bad that they had to stop watching after a while and lambasted the weak story and poor special effects.

    Others said there were several similarities to the Marvel Cinematic Universe movies, such as the film opening with the flipping of comic book pages and the assembling of the Chinese heroes towards the end.

    Despite the bad reviews, the movie has a rating of 7.7 on Tencent Video, which left some wondering if the score was a true reflection.
    threads
    China Captain
    Chinese-Counterfeits-Fakes-amp-Knock-Offs
    Jin-Yong-aka-Louis-Cha
    Monkey-King
    Gene Ching
    Publisher www.KungFuMagazine.com
    Author of Shaolin Trips
    Support our forum by getting your gear at MartialArtSmart

  8. #218
    Join Date
    Jan 1970
    Location
    Fremont, CA, U.S.A.
    Posts
    47,907

    NASA-certified

    Quote Originally Posted by highlypotion View Post
    Researchers show that alkaline water provides other extra great benefits that regular tap or bottled water lack.
    And what do researchers show about NASA-certified water?

    Scammers in China Sold Bottles of ‘NASA-Certified’ Water for $160 Each
    The pyramid scheme saw people touting a miracle liquid that supposedly helps with weight loss, diabetes, and even cancer.
    By Koh Ewe
    June 1, 2021, 12:50am


    PHOTO: JONATHAN CHNG, UNSPLASH
    Among the most expensive liquids in the world, many have good reason to boast hefty price tags. But in a recent case in China, bottles of ridiculously priced “NASA-certified” water turned out to be just regular water, and part of a massive multi-level marketing scheme.

    Chinese authorities recently indicted a company named Zhongzichuanglian for operating the pyramid scheme, state-run legal news outlet Procuratorial Daily reported in May.

    The company, which operated from 2016 to 2018 and had over 49,000 members, made nearly 900 million Chinese yuan ($141 million) in revenue, most notably through a water product known as “SSG Life Mineral Liquid” that was supposedly certified by the United States’ aeronautics and space agency. Sold in boxes of 15, each 35 milliliter bottle of water cost 1,000 yuan ($160) and claimed to cure various ailments and help people retain youthful vigor. A police investigation later found that it was merely regular groundwater, state-run publication National Business Daily reported.

    The case came to light in 2019, when a series of police reports were lodged against the company, after victims of the pyramid scheme realized that they had been scammed. According to Chinese news outlet Legal Daily, members were told that they could enjoy a rebate of 100,000 yuan ($15,700) after spending 150,000 yuan ($23,600) worth of products.

    But the cashback reportedly never came, and the water proved useless against its incredible health promises—backed by Nobel Prize winners, or so the company claimed—that included weight loss, a diabetes cure, and cancer treatment.

    Despite the supposed all-healing properties of the SSG Life Mineral Liquid, the company claimed that consuming the water by itself can only achieve 70 percent of its effectiveness. To reap its full benefits, customers were encouraged to undergo floating therapy, a service offered by a subsidiary company that runs float centers and sells other wellness products like face masks and pain relief patches. One floating therapy session would cost members 298 yuan ($47).

    Members were classified into levels differentiated by the amount of their profits. To boost membership, the company implemented a variety of rewards policies, incentivizing existing members to rake in new ones. The company reportedly also promoted itself by claiming that it used blockchain technology.

    According to Procuratorial Daily, 17 people have been indicted in relation to the pyramid scheme. The leaders of the scheme, identified only by their last names Yan and Wang, have been sentenced to 10 years in prison with a 1 million yuan ($157,000) fine, and eight years and six months in prison with a fine of 900,000 yuan ($141,000), respectively.

    Follow Koh Ewe on Instagram.
    threads
    Water
    Chinese-Counterfeits-Fakes-amp-Knock-Offs
    Gene Ching
    Publisher www.KungFuMagazine.com
    Author of Shaolin Trips
    Support our forum by getting your gear at MartialArtSmart

  9. #219
    Join Date
    Jan 1970
    Location
    Fremont, CA, U.S.A.
    Posts
    47,907

    Fake socialite

    This is such a weird story and this seems the best place to post it.

    China’s ‘fake socialite’: student who lived for free for art school project caught up in wealth inequality controversy
    Zou Yaqi spent 21 days in Beijing sleeping in the halls of extravagant hotels, trying on expensive jewellery and eating for free
    The student has been surprised by the criticism of the project but says it was not about wealth inequality, but about living off society’s excess
    Topic |
    China Society
    Phoebe Zhang
    Published: 6:00pm, 6 Oct, 2021


    When Zou Yaqi published a few short clips from her art project on Weibo she was not prepared for the controversy that followed. Photo: Weibo
    For 21 days in May, Beijing student Zou Yaqi lived for free; sleeping in the halls of extravagant hotels, trying on jade bracelets at auctions and working at an office in Ikea.
    This exercise was no scam, however, it was a project for the student who was graduating from the Central Academy of Fine Arts in Beijing. She recorded her experience on video, which was placed on display in June at the academy. In September, she published a few short clips from the project on Weibo. But she was not prepared for the controversy that followed.
    In the Weibo clips, Zou showed herself eating free sample snacks at malls, sleeping on fancy couches and trying on expensive clothes.
    She had chosen places she felt were relatively safe, such as hotel lobbies and the Haidilao restaurant chain, and to look the part she wore fancy clothes, a fake ring and a fake Hermes bag.
    She wrote on Weibo that the project had stemmed from her long-standing interest in whether a person could live on the “excessive material” produced by society.
    Zou spent 21 days in Beijing eating and sleeping for free. Photo: Weibo
    “In my experience, it’s interesting how these materials are distributed, they are usually assigned to people who look like they already have sufficient wealth in life — they can sleep in extravagant hotel lobbies for free, shower in the airport and use hotel beaches for free, eat at weddings or buffets ... or enjoy snacks and wine at auctions,” she wrote.
    “So I pretended to be one such person ... and lived off these ‘excessive materials’.”
    The project has received mixed reactions in China. Some said such discussion is meaningful, while some called her experiment: “a prank to get free food and drinks”. Another left a comment under her description of sneaking into a first-class airport lounge as: “using a policy loophole.”
    Many said that she was “pretending to be a socialite” and “took advantage of a highly extravagant lifestyle”, with the word “fake socialite” appearing in the headlines of several viral blog pieces about her project.
    The art student has found herself caught up in an ongoing backlash against materialism and wealth inequality in China. The gap between rich and poor has become an increasingly divisive social issue following China’s rapid rise in prosperity in recent decades.
    Wealth inequality has surfaced as a major concern again recently following a government crackdown on celebrity pay, with the earnings of top stars like Zheng Shuang under scrutiny when it was revealed she earned more in a day than most people would in a year.

    To look the part, she carried a fake designer handbag and clothes and jewellery to give the appearance of wealth and success. Photo: Weibo
    In August, President Xi Jinping said China must now move towards a fairer system that looks after those who are not yet wealthy now that the country had been lifted out of poverty, with what he termed “common prosperity”.
    Zou has responded on Weibo to her critics, saying she is not a socialite and only looked like one due to her long preparation for the project, and that her intention was not to examine wealth inequality or define what a socialite is.
    “Prosperity gap and class stratification are only temporary, the public will reach common prosperity sooner or later,” she wrote.
    Many have criticised Zou’s project, labelling her the ‘fake socialite’. Photo: Weibo
    Some people adopted a more positive take on Zou’s experiment, pointing out that Zou’s experience differed from that of Sanmao, a famous child vagabond cartoon character created in the 1930s, with whom she was compared by some.
    “We can say with confidence that she lived 21 days in the metropolis freely, relying on the tolerance and kindness of our commercial society,” said the Guangzhou-based Nanfengchuang magazine.

    Phoebe Zhang
    Phoebe Zhang is a society reporter with the Post. She has a master's degree in journalism.
    Gene Ching
    Publisher www.KungFuMagazine.com
    Author of Shaolin Trips
    Support our forum by getting your gear at MartialArtSmart

  10. #220
    Join Date
    Jan 1970
    Location
    Fremont, CA, U.S.A.
    Posts
    47,907

    fake viagra

    Hk$55m = $7,073,880 usd


    fake viagra, cialis tablets among hong kong’s record hk$55 million seizure of controlled pharmaceuticals

    customs confiscates 1.6 million pills, most for treating erectile dysfunction, and arrests five in series of raids
    hung hom industrial site served as distribution centre for sending generic and fake pills to customers all over the world

    clifford lo

    published: 11:15am, 25 oct, 2021


    counterfeit viagra was among the record seizure. Photo: Afp
    anti-impotence drugs formed the bulk of a record hk$55 million (us$7 million) haul of controlled pharmaceutical products seized in a customs crackdown on a transnational syndicate, which allegedly mailed the tablets to customers around the world from its operations centre in hong kong.
    Customs officers arrested three women and two men during a series of citywide raids over the past month in which they confiscated 1.6 million pills disguised as general goods that had been flown in from india.
    More than 70 per cent of the prescription or controlled drugs, valued at hk$41 million, were for treating erectile dysfunction and contained either sildenafil or tadalafil. Tablets for countering depression and prostate-related illnesses were also seized.
    Senior superintendent rita li yim-ping, head of the customs and excise department’s syndicate crimes investigation bureau, said on monday that most of the drugs were generic, but about 60,000 were counterfeit viagra or cialis.
    “the haul has an estimated market value of hk$55 million. It is the biggest-ever seizure of controlled pharmaceutical drugs in terms of value that hong kong customs has detected,” she said.
    The suspects included a 27-year-old female tattoo artist accused of running the operations centre in hung hom, and two directors of a shell company with no record of running the business as stated. One of the directors was a 39-year-old woman from uzbekistan and the other was a russian man, 41.
    the syndicate’s ringleader collected orders via overseas websites or apps and then instructed his hong kong members to send the pharmaceutical drugs to buyers worldwide
    senior superintendent rita li
    financial investigation revealed that about hk$11 million had been transferred into the bank account of the tattoo artist and hk$9 million was deposited into another account belonging to the shell company between january 2019 and september 2021, according to li.
    The senior superintendent said she believed the accounts were used to collect and launder the money received from overseas customers of the drugs, with funds arriving from countries including bulgaria, montenegro and switzerland.
    “but we don’t rule out the possibility that the two accounts were also used to launder other crime proceeds,” li said.
    She suggested the syndicate was in line to pocket at least half of the proceeds had it managed to sell all of the drugs that were seized.
    “the samples have been taken to a government laboratory to see whether the ingredients used in the seized tablets are harmful,” she said. “we are still waiting for the results of the test.”

    the customs and excise department’s headquarters in north point. Photo: Xiaomei chen
    li said the investigation revealed the imported drugs were delivered to a hung hom industrial unit which was used as a storage, packaging and distribution centre.
    “the syndicate’s ringleader [who was not in hong kong] collected orders via overseas websites or apps and then instructed his hong kong members to send the pharmaceutical drugs to buyers worldwide,” the senior superintendent said.
    Li said intelligence showed the drugs were destined for more than 20 countries around the world, such as australia, belgium, canada, denmark, france, germany, the united states and the united kingdom.
    Hong kong customs began investigating the syndicate after officers at the airport’s cargo terminal intercepted parcels containing about 40,000 tablets on september 28. Some of the parcels were destined for spain.
    The female director of the shell company was detained on september 30 when she allegedly tried to mail some parcels containing the drugs from a post office in hung hom.
    In a raid on the operations centre that day, customs officers arrested a 41-year-old woman from hong kong and confiscated about 1.4 million tablets.
    Officers later raided the office of a logistics company in sheung wan and seized more than 100,000 tablets of the controlled drugs.
    On october 5, a 34-year-old man was picked up in tsing yi, while the tattoo artist was arrested in north point the following day.
    Last friday, customs officers detained the male director of the shell company at his sai kung home.
    The five suspects, arrested for offences such as money laundering and attempting to export controlled drugs without a licence, have been released on bail pending further investigation.
    Senior investigator martin ma wing-hong, of customs’ financial investigation division, said the tattoo artist had a monthly income of between hk$30,000 and hk$40,000, lived in a rented flat and did not own any property.
    “the amount of money [hk$11 million] she received is not commensurate with her income and background,” he said. “we don’t rule out the possibility that the funds were the proceeds of crime.”
    he said the shell company did not have any record of running the business and that its bank account handled large sums of money, with some of those funds coming from european countries such as switzerland and france.
    “we suspect the [two directors] handled hk$9 million in crime proceeds through the account,” ma said.
    Officers from the syndicate crimes bureau are still investigating the length of time the gang was operating in hong kong.

    This article appeared in the south china morning post print edition as: Fake viagra tablets among hk$55m customs haul



    clifford lo
    clifford lo covers the city’s breaking news including major accidents and crime, with a particular interest in reporting local crime trends and statistics.
    Gene Ching
    Publisher www.KungFuMagazine.com
    Author of Shaolin Trips
    Support our forum by getting your gear at MartialArtSmart

  11. #221
    Join Date
    Jan 1970
    Location
    Fremont, CA, U.S.A.
    Posts
    47,907

    $10 M fake Rolexs

    Customs seized over $10 million worth of counterfeit Rolex watches
    By Zoe Sottile, CNN
    Updated 1:00 AM ET, Sat May 7, 2022

    Customs officers in Indianapolis seized over $10 million in counterfeit Rolex watches at the end of April.
    (CNN)It might be time to check the authenticity of your new luxury watch.

    US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers in Indianapolis seized two shipments of counterfeit Rolex watches on April 27 and 29. The fake luxury watches would have had a total value of $10.1 million if real, according to a news release from CBP.
    Both shipments had originated in Hong Kong and were destined for Brooklyn, New York, the CBP said. The agency was tipped off by intelligence gathering and a history of fraudulent shipments from the same vendor -- which triggered them to detain and inspect the two April shipments, the CBP said.
    The April 27 shipment contained 300 counterfeit Rolex watches and the April 29 shipment had 160 counterfeit Rolex watches, according to the news release.
    "No one buys a luxury brand watch expecting it to fail or fall apart," LaFonda Sutton-Burke, CBP's Chicago director of field operations, said in the news release.
    "As consumers increasingly purchase from online or third party vendors, our officers are at the frontline to guard against defrauders expecting to make money selling fake merchandise."
    That's $10 M if they were real. 460 fake Rolexs are only worth what? $460?
    Gene Ching
    Publisher www.KungFuMagazine.com
    Author of Shaolin Trips
    Support our forum by getting your gear at MartialArtSmart

  12. #222
    Join Date
    Jan 1970
    Location
    Fremont, CA, U.S.A.
    Posts
    47,907

    Fake Zoo Bear

    Chinese zoo denies its bears are ‘humans in disguise’ after ‘suspicious’ photos and videos
    Chinese zoo denies its bears are ‘humans in disguise’ after ‘suspicious’ photos and videosvia Weibo
    The zoo said wearing a costume would be intolerable due to hot weather
    Carl Samson

    AUGUST 1, 2023



    A ZOO IN China’s Zhejiang province is in hot water after being accused of hiring humans to play bears for one of its most popular exhibits.

    What critics are saying: The allegations reportedly erupted earlier this month after photos and videos of a sun bear at the Hangzhou Zoo made rounds on Chinese social media.
    In the accusatory posts, at least one black-furred bear can be seen standing like a person with pants-like folds under its rear — raising suspicions that the whole exhibit was just a giant cosplay.

    What the zoo is saying: An employee at the zoo reportedly rejected the allegations last week and insisted that the zoo’s sun bears are real. They explained that sun bears typically have a mild temperament that allows them to interact with visitors. Additionally, they said that the high temperature on the day the photos and videos were taken — 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) — would make a costume intolerable for a person to wear, according to Phoenix New Media.
    They also mentioned that arrangements were made for reporters to see the bears for themselves.
    The big picture: This is not the first time a Chinese zoo has been accused of having people wear animal costumes.
    In 2013, a zoo in Louhe, Henan province, tried to pass off a large and hairy Tibetan mastiff dog as a lion. In 2019, a zoo in Changzhou, Jiangsu province, dressed staff workers as gorillas, later defending the stunt as an April Fool’s prank.
    Wow. This is awesome.
    Gene Ching
    Publisher www.KungFuMagazine.com
    Author of Shaolin Trips
    Support our forum by getting your gear at MartialArtSmart

  13. #223
    Join Date
    Jan 1970
    Location
    Fremont, CA, U.S.A.
    Posts
    47,907
    Chinese Discount Retailer Miniso Is Sorry for Pretending to Be Japanese
    The company said it would “de-Japanize” by March next year.

    By Rachel Cheung
    August 22, 2022, 3:50am


    MINISO'S STOREFRONT IS SIMILAR TO THAT OF JAPANESE BRAND UNIQLO. PHOTOS: MINISO (LEFT) AND GOTOVAN FROM VANCOUVER, CANADA, CC BY 2.0

    People could hardly be blamed for mistaking Miniso as a Japanese brand.

    The discount retailer has taken over the world by presenting itself as a Japanese brand, with more than 5,100 shops from the capital of North Korea to Broadway Avenue in New York. It has brazenly copied the aesthetic and storefront of casual-wear chain Uniqlo. Their products are cheaper, knockoff versions of designer goods from homeware brand Muji. And their logo even features Japanese Katakana characters, which are pronounced as Meisou.

    But Miniso is a “proud Chinese brand through and through,” the company said last week, as it apologized for pretending to be a Japanese brand and thus hurting the feelings of Chinese consumers.

    The marketing strategy of the New York-listed company has come under scrutiny and sparked outcry as political tensions with Tokyo stirred anti-Japanese sentiment in China.

    In a statement on the Chinese social media platform Weibo, Miniso said it was deeply ashamed for having promoted itself as “a Japanese designer brand” in the early stage of its development, which it described as “a wrong direction.”

    The company, which is based in the southern Chinese city of Guangdong, said it has begun “de-Japanizing” since 2019 and will remove any element that makes references to Japan from its marketing materials and storefronts by March next year.

    Its management pledged to hold senior staff responsible for the “severe mistake.” Miniso also vowed to “export the correct Chinese culture and values.”

    The statement came after the company caused a domestic backlash earlier this month, as Miniso Spain has mistakenly described Disney Princesses wearing Chinese cheongsam in a recent toy collection as Japanese geisha. The Chinese company subsequently issued an apology and demanded its agent in Spain to terminate the agency that ran its social media accounts. “We admire the long historical civilization and splendid cultural achievements of China,” Miniso Spain later wrote in an Instagram post.

    Though Miniso opened its first store in Guangzhou in 2013 and most of its products are manufactured in China, the company repeatedly insisted it was a Japanese brand in the first few years, citing the presence of Japanese designer Miyake Junya as a co-founder.

    “It is funny how the strategic partnership and high performance of Miniso in China has overshadowed the business in Japan,” Junya said in 2016, when the company operated more than 1,000 outlets in China, but only four in Japan. He hoped to share Japan’s design philosophy with people around the world.

    By 2019, when the company was preparing for its public listing in the U.S., all mentions of Junya and its Japanese origins had disappeared from its site and documents, including its IPO prospectus, which listed Chinese entrepreneur Ye Guofu as its only founder.

    Miniso was embroiled in 68 lawsuits in the same year, with more than 40 cases involving copyright infringement. In 2016, a Hong Kong outlet reported that several well-known Nordic designers’ names were featured on Miniso’s website without their agreement. At least two Hong Kong artists have also accused the company of ripping off their design.

    Follow Rachel Cheung on Twitter and Instagram.
    I've noticed the similarity but didn't realize it went so deep.
    Gene Ching
    Publisher www.KungFuMagazine.com
    Author of Shaolin Trips
    Support our forum by getting your gear at MartialArtSmart

  14. #224
    Join Date
    Jan 1970
    Location
    Fremont, CA, U.S.A.
    Posts
    47,907

    Slightly OT

    In-N-Out knockoff, complete with red trays and burgers, draws crowds
    By Timothy Karoff
    Aug 2, 2023


    In-I-Nout's light-up sign beckons.
    Screenshot via Google
    Picture this: You’re cruising down the highway out of Culiacán, the capital of the northwestern Mexican state of Sinaloa. It’s 9 p.m., and the last hints of blue have faded from the night sky. After a long, hot day, you’re tired and a little hungry. You miss California.
    That’s when you see it. You pull over and rub your eyes, but they’re not deceiving you. “IN-I-NOUT,” the brightly lit sign reads.
    Not “In-N-Out” — “In-I-Nout.”
    It’s hard to pinpoint exactly when the copycat burger restaurant opened. Older Google Street View footage just shows a shuttered, unmarked blue building where the establishment now stands. The restaurant’s first Instagram post dates back to June, and the Google ratings started trickling in about a month ago (one reviewer gave it a 100% recommendation, while another complained of long waits and lack of air conditioning). Patrons’ photos show uncannily accurate Double-Doubles and animal fries, complete with grilled onions and spread, all served on familiar red trays. Inside, the restaurant looks, well, like a knockoff In-N-Out, complete with red booths.
    The restaurant draws on In-N-Out’s nostalgia for 1950s Americana: Walls are adorned with old-school Coca-Cola and diner posters, and there’s even a diner counter. At least some customers seem to be in on the bit, too. In a viral TikTok documenting In-I-Nout, American country music plays over footage of the restaurant’s burgers. To Californians, In-N-Out is a fast food chain. But Culiacán's In-I-Nout is a symbol of a bygone time in a faraway place.
    Maybe In-N-Out could learn a thing or two from its imitator. A photo posted on In-I-Nout’s Instagram account depicts what appear to be buffalo chicken tenders — which the real In-N-Out, with its rigidly standardized menu, has never offered. And to be honest, the fries look better than the California In-N-Out’s limp, starchy offerings.


    By Timothy Karoff
    Timothy Karoff is SFGATE's culture reporter. He lives in San Francisco's Mission District. You can email him at timothy.karoff@sfgate.com
    It's Mexican, not Chinese, and it's a year old article, but it was just too funny to me not to share...
    Gene Ching
    Publisher www.KungFuMagazine.com
    Author of Shaolin Trips
    Support our forum by getting your gear at MartialArtSmart

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •