Monday March 19, 2001

Counterfeit Handbags

Kate Spade, Gucci, Prada, Cartier ... To some, they're affordable handbags. To others, they're a down payment. But from New York to Los Angeles finding fakes is as easy as asking for them.

And there's no knocking these knockoffs. These luxury "look-alikes" have become so good even the experts are impressed. Our undercover investigation revealed business in counterfeit handbags is booming.

According to Bruce Rain of U.S. Customs, smugglers have gotten a lot smarter by bringing in bags without logos. "Add the label later after it arrives and sell it as the real product."

"Extra" brought our two phonies to stylist-to-the-stars Philip Bloch. We wanted to know if he could he tell the difference between our fakes and the real ones.

Our first phony was a popular striped Kate Spade tote, which sells for about $400 dollars retail, "Extra" paid $30. Bloch says, "It's fun, colorful, and its a fabric it shouldn't cost $300 it isn't even leather!"

Our second phony was a Gucci tote that costs $700 dollars, "Extra" paid $30. Bloch says, "This Gucci is great. Look at this, the leather is very soft just like Gucci. A good test for me is how the zippers run. That seems very smooth."

No matter how cool it may be, knowingly making fakes is against the law. Is buying them illegal as well? According to experts, that varies from area to area, but if you start buying in bulk to re-sell, that's a true crime.