Dallas BBB Warns Of Websites Selling Counterfeit Gear
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DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) - The Dallas Better Business Bureau is warning consumers about websites selling bogus baseball, basketball and football jerseys.
Shoppers complain their merchandise either never shows up or if it does -- it's a knock off.
Tina Hoepfner ordered her son an $86 Dak Prescott jersey from Champs Apparel thinking it was actually Champs Sports.
"It's a chain, and I know it's going to be legit," said Hoepfner.
Weeks of waiting for the jersey turned into a month.
"That's when I discovered it was coming from China. I googled Champs Apparel and that's when I saw the bad reviews," said Hoepfner.
It took so long Hoepfner ordered another Prescott jersey, this time from a licensed seller.
When the one from Champs Apparel finally came she compared the two.
"The name, the color was off. The stars on the shoulders were different colors. The Nike emblem was different, the number on the back was smaller. It was very obvious it was a fake," said Hoepfner.
The website for Champs Apparel has been taken down and has no affiliation with the legitimate sports chain Champs Sports.
Hoepfner filed a complaint about the knock off jersey with the Dallas Better Business Bureau's scam tracker.
Phylissia Clark of the Dallas BBB says they have investigated counterfeit sites for months.
"This is definitely a nationwide problem and definitely a several league problem as well," said Clark.
Clark said the BBB identified at least 65 questionable sites. One of them, Onyx Hearts, has an F rating with the BBB, 9 complaints from last year and a Dallas address.
Clark said the BBB mystery shopped the site and ordered a throwback Michael Jordan jersey.
An attorney for the NBA described the three telltale signs that it's a bogus basketball jersey. For starters, the tag on the jersey was missing a hologram, the NBA jersey had a collegiate tag on it and the poor quality were signs it was a fake.
"The tag itself, the seam isn't sewn directly across," explained Clark.
Clark also pointed out flat out mistakes on the tag like a missing space in between the words 'exact' and 'specifications'.
Onyx hearts did not return a request for a comment and their Dallas address was a PO box.
Hoepfner believes these sites are a lose lose for fans wanting to support their teams.
"They are making these cheap jerseys and making money off of us," said Hoepfner.
Clark also warns shoppers who knowingly order a knock-off looking for a deal.
"You'll find some quality issues, you may not get the merchandise you are looking for and you may be giving your information to a site that you may not know a lot about," said Clark.
