Fake Ferrari P 4

We've all heard many stories about counterfeit products. Fake Gucci or Vuitton handbags and knockoff Armani suits won't surprise anyone. But fake brand name airplane parts and heart pills are a different matter. Recently a fake Ferrari sports car made in Thailand became the showpiece of an exhibition in Brussels warning against the dangers of pirated goods. The Ferrari P4 - of which only three were made, in 1967 -was made in a back street factory in Thailand and is powered by a Subaru engine.

The Authentics Foundation has used the car to warn against the growing tide of counterfeit goods. Tim Trainer, one of the founders of the London-based Authentics Foundation helped organise the meeting. He's also a former custom's officer.

Lisa Mullins talked to him

Fake Vuitton bag for sale in China

An estimated 10 % of all goods for sale these days are not the brand products they pretend to be. That works out to about $600 billion dollars in illicit revenue every year. A conference on the threats posed by counterfeit goods wrapped up in Brussels this week.

In 2005 Orlando de Guzman reported on counterfeit malaria drugs for The World:
Read more and listen to his report

In Dec 2007 Fake designer goods valued at more than $ 2 million were seized in London's fashinable West End. According to local authorities, the haul included counterfeit handbags, jewellery and sunglasses using brand names such as Gucci and Prada. They are usually imported from the Far East and sold in market stalls and smaller stores.