Counterfeit People Products Make Sell Goods U.S Buying

People make and sell many types of "counterfeit" (fake; false; imitation) products, trying to "cash in on" (profit from; make money on) the success of well-known "brands" (the name under which a particular company's products are sold). Most of these counterfeit products are sold by people who try to "pass them off as" (make other people believe something that isn't true) the real thing.

Many "consumer goods" (things that are sold to individuals, not businesses) are counterfeit. For example, if you walk down the streets of a large city, you may be met by people who offer to sell you designer "handbags" (purses) or watches for very low prices. The low price should be a "clue" (a hint; information that leads one to the truth) that these goods are counterfeit and not genuine.

Sometimes the U.S. government has "raids" (events where police try to take illegal goods away from criminals) to "seize" (take by force) counterfeit goods so that they cannot be sold. However, the people who sell those counterfeit goods are rarely punished, and many of the manufacturers are in other countries. The U.S. government is currently fighting against eBay and similar websites that allow people to sell counterfeit goods.

Finally, many criminals make counterfeit "currency" (money), printing "large bills" ($50 or $100 bills) and using them to buy things. The United States tries to "counter" (work against) counterfeit currency in two ways. First, it tries to make U.S. currency very difficult to counterfeit, for example by printing the money on special paper with special "inks" (colored liquid used for printing). Second, it tries to identify and "imprison" (put in jail) people who counterfeit currency.