KUALA LUMPUR: Fake World Cup football jerseys are being sold to foreign tourists at inflated prices along Jalan Petaling, with some visitors allegedly paying more than double the price charged to locals.
The racket was uncovered following a raid by the Kuala Lumpur Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Ministry (KPDN) on Friday (July 10).
Kuala Lumpur KPDN enforcement chief Mohd Shahran Mohd Arshad said the operation, which began at about 6pm, targeted five premises comprising a storage facility and four retail stalls.
He said enforcement officers seized 5,403 suspected counterfeit football jerseys worth an estimated RM270,150.
"Six foreign workers, comprising Bangladeshis and Myanmar nationals, including a woman aged between 20 and 30, were detained during the operation.
"Initial investigations indicate they were employed by locals to work at the premises," he told reporters after the raid.
Mohd Shahran said interviews with foreign tourists revealed that the counterfeit jerseys were sold to them at unreasonably high prices.
He said locals were typically charged about RM50 for a jersey, while tourists were allegedly asked to pay more than RM100 for the same item.
Inspections also found that the stalls were selling imitation jerseys of various quality grades, while the storage facility housed specialised machines used to print players' names and jersey numbers.
He said the syndicates were believed to sell up to 100 jerseys daily during the World Cup season, generating as much as RM5,000 in daily revenue.
Initial investigations found that the premises were linked to different syndicates, and authorities are now tracking down the owners of the businesses, including those responsible for renting out the premises.
Mohd Shahran urged members of the public, especially visitors to Jalan Petaling, to report any sale of counterfeit goods to KPDN.
The case is being investigated under the Trade Marks Act 2019.
