U.S. Customs and Border Protection's agents in Texas seized over $7 million worth of counterfeit Apple chargers this week. Customs and Border Protection's Houston Seaport Trade Enforcement Team found the chargers or lightning cables, according to the announcement. Agents at the Area Port of Houston and Galveston found 373,000 counterfeit USB phone chargers, or 7,460 cartons containing the Apple trademark. Both border protection agents and Apple representatives confirmed that they were fake. Customs and Border Protection Acting Area Port Director John Landry said in the announcement that criminal networks have been using e-commerce to ship their items to "unsuspecting consumers and exploit the high volume of cargo processed by CBP." Landry, from Customs and Border Protection, said counterfeiters don't pay taxes and their actions have a negative impact on legitimate jobs. "The counterfeits are often produced under unsanitary labor exploitation conditions," he said. "They hurt innovation by stealing intellectual property from registered trademarks and the counterfeits are often produced under unsanitary labor exploitation conditions." According to the department, buying counterfeit goods supports criminal activities like forced labor or human trafficking. Most of these items have come from China and Hong Kong, the department said, adding that during fiscal year 2024, seizures from China and Hong Kong accounted for 90% of seized items. More news:More than 10,000 chicks were left in a USPS truck for days. Now they need a home. According to Customs and Border Protection, customers who want to protect themselves can do the following: Buy directly from the trademark holder or from authorized retailers. Know the market value of the items they are purchasing. If the items are priced much lower, they could be fake. Look for legitimate websites that offer customer service contact information and have return policies. The department said consumers should only buy from legitimate sources and pay attention to pricing. If it seems too good to be true, it probably is, the department said. Saleen Martin is a reporter on USA TODAY's NOW team. She is from Norfolk, Virginia–the 757. Email her at sdmartin@usatoday.com. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Fake Apple charges seized by Customs and Border Protection in Texas
