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Hi-end fakes hitting Italy... Investigation in Rome.  Rate Topic 
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 Posted: Tue Apr 30th, 2013 02:40 pm
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Hammerfjord
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Interesting reading from the F.H site.
Specialists from the Federation of the Swiss watch industry (F.H) are going to Rome to be confronted with fake luxury watches hitting retailers's shops.
Traffic and deceit are running the town...



In the Eternal City, the merchants in the temple have retrained as counterfeiters. The Guardia di Finanza decided a clear-out was needed, with technical support from the FH. A first-hand account by our special correspondents.

The meeting, arranged in the hotel bar, takes place late in the afternoon. Here we find Leo, an officer of the Guardia di Finanza, nucleo polizia tributaria di Roma. Without wasting time on long introductions, the policeman checks our identities and proceeds to sketch out the main points of the enquiry that has kept his small section busy for several weeks. Investigations are focusing on a network of jewellers offering luxury watches for sale at knockdown prices. From telephone data, the picture emerges of a network that has active relays between Rome and Naples. Information gathered during an initial search, carried out in the guise of a tax inspection, has allowed investigators to extrapolate that considerable sums of money are changing hands. The second phase of the enquiry is designed precisely to find out more about the amounts involved and the actual quantity of watches being exchanged, and secondly their provenance. That then, is the broad outline and we shall learn no more for the time being. We leave the hotel and head for the section’s premises on the outskirts of town. The traffic in Rome at this time of day is dense (translate «tutto bloccato»). Used to this kind of situation, the officer doesn’t get flustered and moves into the tram lanes, kindling the ire of some users who make their anger clear by sounding their horns or employing a gesture whose meaning is universal. «You see, I’ve got lots of friends in Rome», says our driver with a smile. We now make rapid progress, shaken by the uneven paving stones and buckled rails, all the while zigzagging to avoid the trams that follow one another in close succession. After our high-octane journey, we’re met by Major Claudio, the commander of the section. He asks us to examine a number of timepieces seized during a previous search to confirm their counterfeit nature. We are immediately alerted to the quality of manufacture; these fakes are a cut above, with an uncommonly good finish. «More like the Champions League, wouldn’t you say?» says the commander, pleased with his bon mot. Some pieces are so well made that doubt persists even after examination under a magnifying glass. Not the most promising start! Seeing the doubt on our faces, the Major finally tells us why he brought us to Rome. A mobile phone seized the week before made it possible to identify a jeweller’s shop. He wants to do some «shopping» there tomorrow, in our company.

Up bright and early, a car awaits us at the entrance to the hotel. We set off for our destination. After a short trip across town, we slow down in front of the boutique. The metal shutters are down, it’s too early and the shop is still closed. That’s fine; it gives us time for a coffee. However, one man remains on watch nearby with instructions to call us the moment the situation changes. After a quarter of an hour’s wait, the «capo» receives the signal and off we go. At the site, the policeman tells us that the shutters were raised and immediately lowered again. What exactly is going on? Have their suspicions been aroused? The Major takes the lead and states his intention to gain entry by more direct methods. «Police, open the door!» he yells, banging against the iron grille. Eventually the shutters are raised a metre or so. The officers duck underneath quickly. Two people are inside the shop, visibly on edge. They say they saw suspicious movements on the surveillance cameras and took us for thieves. A fine irony! «Calm down, this is an inspection for the taxman, if you cooperate, everything will be fine». An important note: virtually all Rome’s jewellers hold a weapons licence. One of the policemen asks to see the firearm owned by the manager. Without a word, the latter produces a Beretta. Instinctively, we take a step back. The policeman takes the pistol and removes the clip and the bullets, which he drops into the manager’s pocket. Everything is in order. The policeman returns the pistol to its owner. «Don’t do anything silly with that, OK?» he suggests calmly. Meanwhile his three colleagues entered the shop and embarked on a methodical search. In cabinets, on presentation stands and on shelves, there are large numbers of luxury watches, some new, many more second-hand. Promotional materials from top brands are displayed on furniture and on the walls, giving the perfect illusion of an approved distributor. The back of the shop is fitted out as a watchmaker’s workshop, with a workbench, a polishing machine, watchmaking tools and a safe. Small drawers contain a multitude of different components, including dials, bracelets and clasps, together with all kinds of warranty cards and presentation cases for different brands, the best known among them. Time to get down to work! Our task now is to go through all this with a fine tooth comb.

Two hours go by. We can hardly believe our eyes as we survey the roll call of genuine and fake articles, with every imaginable unknown quantity in between. We are dumbfounded. The managers demonstrate an exhaustive knowledge of original collections and referencing methods used by prestige brands. According to them, they acquired all these goods from private individuals in need of cash. Their activity is simply to buy, repair and resell. We then remove some blue rubber cubes from a drawer. They are dies allowing the reproduction of buckles for Rolex clasps. «What about these?» the officer asks. The room falls silent. For now, we’ve seen enough. The Major explains the situation to the owners, advising them to contact a lawyer without delay. Some articles are gathered up to assist the investigation, while the rest will remain in the shop, under seal. We take our leave quietly. What can we say to the two suspects appalled by the turn of events? Surely not goodbye - more like see you later, before the judge.

On the way back to the barracks we suggest a little demonstration for the benefit of our police friends. Taking one of the seized watches which we identified as fake, an officer goes into a jeweller’s shop and asks for it to be examined. Taking his time, eyeglass in place, the shopkeeper scrutinises the watch then unhesitatingly gives his verdict: a genuine watch. QED.


http://www.fhs.ch/en/news/news.php?id=1123

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