Counterfeit LAN Equipment Strikes Again

Source

A couple of monthes ago, I published a post detailing counterfeit LAN equipment and how it's spread through the grey market. That article can be found here.

This morning, Maximum PC is reporting on two Kansas residents who were allegedly selling counterfeit networking hardware they claimed to be from Cisco.

From Maixmum PC:

"The two Kansas-area men -- Christopher Myers, 40, and Timothy Weatherly, 27 -- are facing a single count of conspiracy, 30 counts of trafficking in counterfeit goods, and a single count of trafficking counterfeit labels, the U.S. Department of Justice said in a news release."

Counterfeits are no longer relegated to the dark alleys of large cities or coastal regions, they have found their way into every region of the United States and spotting these products has become increasingly difficult.

Typically the simplest way to identify counterfeit products is to inspect the labeling and packaging, but this method isn't 100% reliable. Counterfeiters have gotten quite skilled at replicating the look and feel of the products they're copying. Again, from Maximum PC:

"Legal documents allege that Myers and Weatherly would buy counterfeit Cisco-branded hardware built in China and Hong Kong, slap counterfeit labels on it, and then packet it in counterfeit Cisco boxes. They would even include counterfeit Cisco manuals, according to the Attorney General's Office in Kansas."

Based on the report, this material would have passed most consumer's initial 'look and feel' test. Keep in mind this wasn't some small-time operation either. These two men netted around $1 million dollars from the sale of counterfeit Cisco products. I can't stress enough the importance of purchasing your networking equipment from authorized distribution. This is the only true method to ensure the networking equipment used in your infrastructure is genuine. A list of authorized distributors can be found on any manufacturer's website

It's been said before, but it is worth repeating, "If it looks too good to be true, it probably is."