Sale of counterfeit items might fund terrorism

[Wolfie]

Fake Gucci Bags Fund Terrorism?

Fri Oct 22, 2004 10:06 AM ET

By Phil Stewart

ROME (Reuters) - Before you buy that fake Armani T-shirt or knock-off Gucci bag, remember that you could be lining the pockets of mobsters and terrorists.

That was the warning from Interpol during a global conference on counterfeiting Thursday -- a crime which is costing governments and businesses hundreds of billions of dollars a year.

"When you buy for example a counterfeit watch, the money is channeled into the pockets of Mafia groups, terrorist groups," said Jean-Michel Louboutin, executive director of police services at Interpol.

Trying to rally consumer support behind a global campaign against counterfeiting, officials also warned unscrupulous bargain hunters they could even be risking their own lives.

Michel Danet, secretary general of the World Customs Organization, cited a case of falsified pharmaceuticals blamed for thousands of deaths.

Delegates at the conference in Rome said the value of lost sales in Italy was at least 3 billion euros ($3.79 billion) a year.

Officials did not name specific terrorist groups, but Interpol has said in the past that militants in Northern Ireland were known to be involved in organized crime, trading in a whole range of counterfeit products from cigarettes to music CDs.

http://reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=...storyID=6583522

[method77]

they found the new motto now. "Whatever is not legal funds terrorism".

Dumbasses

[Malicious Intent]

That sums it up Method77.

People are so sick of the word terrorism that I cant see it having any affect.

[slum_goddess]

bah...repressive motherfuckers. i wouldn't care so much if so many people didn't believe all this shit but they do. :angry:

[jipper]

yeah but..these counterfeit items are cheaper than the real thing.

make luxury items cheaper = end of terrorism....indeed.

[Redneck4sure]

Sometimes I think my tax money is funding terrorism, too.

I am sure that any money spent on cds is funding terrorism.

[Umma]

yeah but..these counterfeit items are cheaper than the real thing.

I'd be happy with a cheap fake

[Wolfie]

Since I downlaod my CDs for free I am not funding niether the terrorists nor the RIAA. Unless of course, my CD burner or computer parts fund terrorists. ;)

[tMoD]

If you want to play a game of Six Degrees of Separation (which is what these claims are essentially based on), you could probably find that all economic transactions fund terrorism. :P

Edited October 23, 2004 by tMoD

[slum_goddess]

If you want to play a game of Six Degrees of Separation (which is what these claims are essentially based on), you could probably find that all economic transactions fund terrorism. :P

agreed, if one sets out w/the end result already in mind, anything can be changed to look like what it's not (and there'll be dummies who believe it).