U.S. Customs Discovers Counterfeit Scopes Coming from China

When you purchase expensive optics, you need to be careful about who you deal with, and what you buy. There are an increasing number of forgeries coming in from various parts of Asia. Just recently, three executives of Field Sport Inc. were charged with ‘selling a counterfeit mark’, in connection with Field Sport’s importation of fake EoTech riflescopes. Earlier this month, 900 counterfeit EoTech sights/magnifiers were discovered by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers inspecting a shipment from China. The Field Sports execs were charged with multiple felonies.

BusinessWeek.com reported:

Now a fugitive believed to be in China, Yongming “Steven” Sui, 53, chief executive officer of Field Sport Inc., was charged by state prosecutors with two felony counts — manufacturing and selling a counterfeit mark (a form of trademark infringement) and possession of an assault weapon. Also charged in the state criminal complaint were Sui’s colleagues — co-owner Isaac Cheuk Hang Tse, 65, of Rowland Heights, and Pao Sheng Yang, 34, of Corona, the firm’s business manager. Both are alleged to have engaged in manufacturing and selling a counterfeit mark and possessing an assault weapon.

Many Counterfeit Optics for Sale on Internet
In addition to this EoTech situation, there appear to be many other examples of counterfeit optics entering the United States. The Firearm Blog did a quick web search, and found numerous imitation EoTech and Leupold scopes advertised on Alibaba.com, a wholesale site part-owned by web giant Yahoo.com. We suspect the fakes found by the Firearm Blog on Alibaba.com are just the tip of the iceberg. Below is just one of many fakes AccurateShooter.com found on Alibaba.com today (3/30/2011). A 3.5-10x40mm Leupold MK4 M3 Scope is advertised for sale for $750.00:

There’s no way you’re going to get a genuine illuminated Leupold MK4 for $750.00 and we can tell you that the real things don’t come from Indonesia, where this seller is located. We confirmed today with Leupold that ALL MK4 scopes are still made in the USA. The genuine Leupold 3.5-10x40mm MK4 LR/T M3 sells for about $1350.00 in the USA:

If you have any concerns about the authenticity of a Leupold scope you plan to purchase, ask the seller for the SERIAL NUMBER. Then call Leupold support at 1-800-Leupold. Leupold will trace the serial number and determine positively whether the scope is genuine or conterfeit.