It’s happened to me before – the excitement of finding that amazing bargain, only to be disappointed when you realised it’s too good to be true. I was in love with a ‘Fake Burberry Bag’ I stumbled upon in a street-side market. It was brownish-red and looked almost identical to the real deal that usually retails for close to a grand! I was ecstatic!
“This is too good to be true!” I exclaimed excitedly and sharing in my joy, my friend said, “Buy it and find out, much cheaper than the real deal!” I wasn’t convinced and replied with a roll of my eyes, “You know as well as I do, that when something looks too good to be true, it probably is. I’m not buying a fake Burberry bag.”
My friend insisted, “Hey! Don’t knock it ’till you try it. Buy it and you’ll find out for sure!” I hesitated and eventually shook my head. I mean, there were some ‘too good to be true’ deals out there, but not when it comes to a designer brand like Burberry. I knew it was fake, no matter how much it looked like the real thing.
Still, the temptation was strong. I mean, the huge discount was so tempting it was hard to turn away. After all, if it was a fake, I’d just lose a few bucks. Then again, who knew if I’d get ripped off if I bought it? In the end, I walked away, though it felt like leaving a pile of money behind me.
The next day, my friend showed up with his ‘Fake Burberry Bag’. I asked him how it could be so cheap and he just shrugged. “It’s fake, what do you expect?” He said. I shook my head. “It makes no sense, how are the people selling these getting away with it?”
My friend just laughed and said, “Why wouldn’t they? We all want to get a great deal.” I knew he was right – and in some ways it felt like knowing the secrets of these fake bag rackets could give us an edge over others. But, at the same time, I just felt a little disgusted with myself. It wouldn’t be right for me to make money out of something dishonest.
Suddenly, an idea occurred to me – what if I used my knowledge about these fake bags to educate others? I figured it would be far better to give people the information they need to protect themselves and not let these dubious sellers get away with their schemes. And with that, I knew that this was what I’d do in order to truly help people to avoid falling victim to these underhanded tactics.
I started to investigate the various rackets in more depth, researching different strategies they used to scam unsuspecting victims. I found that they often sold pieces of leather stitched together with brightly coloured thread, labelled as real Burberry. It was astonishing to realise that some buyers swallowed the bait.
I decided to pass on this information through organising talks, giving interviews and writing lots of articles. It was gratifying to find that most people welcomed my efforts and appreciated the information I was sharing with them. Knowing that I had made a difference in some way was an amazing feeling.
So as much as I could, I continued to shed light on these fake bag rackets and to date, I’m still doing my part to help keep others informed. Even if it’s just one person at a time, I still consider it all worthwhile in the end.