Police in Suining City, Sichuan Province, China, uncovered a large case of counterfeiting Apple AirPods Bluetooth headset counterfeiting syndicate. The police seized a batch of counterfeit Apple AirPods headphones and destroyed 9 counterfeiting dens, 3 production lines and 6 sales outlets. The amount involved was approximately 167 million yuan (approximately 23.5 million US dollars).
The report shows that in this major case, more than 69,000 pairs of counterfeit Apple Bluetooth headphones, more than 45,000 pairs of semi-finished headphones, 4 sets of counterfeiting tools, more than 50,000 sets of packaging materials and more than 10,000 sets of spare parts were seized. The police said that the investigation also showed that these counterfeit Apple headphones have been sold to more than ten provinces and cities across the country, including Guangdong, Shandong, Sichuan, and Hainan. This indicates that the sales network of this counterfeiting gang may be very large. There is currently no indication whether the products have been smuggled into other markets outside of China.
Apple products are targeted by counterfeiters because of their popularity. There are several ways to identify authentic and fake Apple earphones and to guide consumers against counterfeit products. One of these methods is a visual inspection. Genuine earphones bear Apple's logo, while counterfeit ones don't. The surface treatment of counterfeit headphones is not as refined as genuine Apple headphones.
Another way to determine the authenticity of your Apple headphones is to verify the product's serial number on Apple's official website. If the serial number does not appear on the headset, it may be a counterfeit product. Authentic Apple headphones also have some unique identifying features that are difficult to counterfeit. Importantly, purchasing channels may also point to possible counterfeit products. If you buy from official channels, the chance of you getting a fake is basically zero. There are currently no details on the number of people arrested and possible prosecutions related to AirPods counterfeiting.