MEMPHIS, Tenn. — It’s a sparkling ring, too big to fit anyone’s finger except a football player’s.
Encircled in gold and diamonds, with a glistening purple enamel center, this LSU 2019 National Championship ring might sell for $300-$500 dollars online.
But it cost between $2 and $3 dollars to make–in China– and those “gold and diamonds” aren’t real.
Customs and Border Protection agents at the Port of Memphis recently confiscated dozens of fake championship rings–both collegiate and pro– that were made in China and shipped to a “consignee” who intended to sell the rings online in the U.S..
According to CBP Public Affairs Officer Matthew Dyman, counterfeit championship rings “run the gamut of NBA, NFL, NHL, and college football.” Other frequently confiscated items sent from China are fake “handbags, wallets, apparel, footwear, watches, jewelry, and consumer electronics.”
And when they’re confiscated by CBP agents–they don’t last long. Dyman says counterfeit goods “are destroyed in a way that they cannot be useable, and then discarded.” Fake purses or clothing are “ripped up.”
And rings, including the phony LSU 2019 National Championship ring?
They’re crushed, says Dyman, “via hammer.”