Counterfeit eBay fraudsters nabbed

Cheshire East Council’s trading standards officers have secured a successful prosecution against two sellers who profited by trading counterfeit goods on eBay.

Carol Wood, 63, and Robert Stokes, 59, of Eastgate, Macclesfield, sold fake Abercrombie & Fitch products, Pandora and Disney-branded jewellery and Hollister clothing for eight years on eBay from 2009 to 2017.

Both pleaded guilty in court to running a fraudulent business called Home Delights. Wood admitted four further counts of unauthorised use of a trademark, while Stokes pleaded guilty to two further counts of the same offence.

Wood admitted running an eBay account for the business and making more than 13,000 transactions of counterfeit clothing and counterfeit jewellery totalling more than £400,000. Stokes admitted being involved in the sourcing and supply of some of the Pandora and Disney charms.

Nearly 500 items of counterfeit goods were seized from their home address in July 2017. Wood and Stokes both admitted to being in possession of counterfeit goods with a view to selling the Pandora charms.