TikTok influencers arrested for flogging over £1,000,000 in fake goods
Officers uncovered a warehouse full of over £1 million worth of counterfeit clothes, trainers and socks in Rotherham (Picture: City of London Police)
A group of TikTok content creators were arrested for selling thousands of counterfeit clothes.
More than £1.1million of clothing, including trainers and socks believed to have been stolen, were found at a warehouse in Rotherham, South Yorkshire.
Officers also interrupted a man doing a livestream on TikTok to promote the fake goods.
A total of 26,489 items were seized on the premises, filling four 18-tonne lorries.
These included £988,700 of fake branded trainers and £115,000 of counterfeit socks.
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One of the influencers being arrested by officers following the warehouse raid (Picture: City of London Police)
An investigation found that influencers were falsely claiming to sell genuine products in response to comments from Tiktok viewers.
It also uncovered ‘commission cheat sheets’ which offered content creators higher pay for each fake item they could flog.
One TikTok video showed one of the influencers standing next to boxes of what he claims are Nike trainers, adding he has been on the platform for a period of nine months.
Another clip shows the same influencer promoting ‘white Nike socks’.
‘Everything we sell is authentic guys. We wouldn’t be able to sell here if it wasn’t’, another influencer attempts to assure viewers.
Buyers have been warned that the counterfeit clothes were unlikely to be of good quality and are produced by workers in poor conditions.
‘Cheat’ commission sheets appear to offer content creators a higher take-home amount for each item they sell (Picture: City of London Police)
Unlike genuine items, counterfeits usually wear out quicker and can also carry other risks such as being highly flammable and containing harmful chemicals.
Six people were arrested on suspicion of distributing goods bearing false trademark, under the Trademarks Act 1994.
They have all since been released on bail as an investigation continues.
DS Jamie Kirk, from City of London Police, said: ‘This investigation shows how the sale of counterfeit goods has evolved, moving from traditional market stalls to modern apps and online marketplaces. In this case, influencers were used to promote and sell counterfeit products to large audiences.
‘This case should send a clear message to anybody selling counterfeit goods online: it is illegal and we will take action.’
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