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PODCAST

Imitation Nation

Imitation Nation

Imitation Nation is a podcast that covers all things counterfeit, hosted by Shabbir Imber Safdar and Sven Bergmann.

true crime medicine

All Episodes

28:56

Imitation Nation Podcast Eps 26 News Video Version

Imitation Nation ·

2026/04/13

In this week's Counterfeit News, Imitation Nation talks about a farm in Pennsylvania producing counterfeit meat; a patent infringement lawsuit between two huge players in the pharma space; the DEA takedown of over 200 illegal online pharmacies; and a breakthrough to print QR codes on live bacteria. We also continue our newfound embrace of video, so you can watch the conversation unfold! Check out this week's episode!

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36:59

Imitation Nation Podcast Eps 25 Travis Johnson Video...

Imitation Nation ·

2026/04/13

In this episode, Imitation Nation talks to Travis Johnson from the International Anti-Counterfeiting Coalition, and he'll tell us exactly what he thinks Congress needs to do this year to help keep Americans safe. This is also our first foray into video podcasting, so you can put names to faces!

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28:56

Imitation Nation Podcast Eps 26 Counterfeit News

Imitation Nation ·

2026/04/10

In this week's Counterfeit News, Imitation Nation talks about a farm in Pennsylvania producing counterfeit meat; a patent infringement lawsuit between two huge players in the pharma space; the DEA takedown of over 200 illegal online pharmacies; and a breakthrough to print QR codes on live bacteria. Check out this week's episode!

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36:59

Imitation Nation Podcast Eps 25 Travis Johnson...

Imitation Nation ·

2026/04/10

In this episode, Imitation Nation talks to Travis Johnson from the International Anti-Counterfeiting Coalition, and he'll tell us exactly what he thinks Congress needs to do this year to help keep Americans safe.

en

34:30

Episode 23: Unboxing Fake Fashion Unleashing Real...

Imitation Nation ·

2026/03/31

In this episode we interview our friends at the American Apparel and Footwear Association:Jen Hanks, Senior Director, Brand Protection Conor O'Brien, Sustainability Product Specialist Sven and I talk with them about their new report on the hazardous chemicals they found in fake products, and the larger problem of counterfeits that pose a hazard to your health. Read the report, as well as their research on the entire digital ecology that makes money off counterfeit sold online, the digital

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46:07

Why Diversion May Be the Most Underestimated Threat...

Imitation Nation ·

2026/02/27

In the first guest episode of Imitation Nation, we welcome Stephan von Schilcher of NovaVision, a second-generation brand protection expert who grew up around holograms, covert inks, and counterfeit detection and made it his career. Stephan has worked as a global career spanning woven security labels, RFID deployment, holograms, tamper-evident tape, cargo seals, and online brand protection. From pallet theft in GPS dead zones to criminals cutting RFID antennas mid-transit, we explore how illicit

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30:07

Episode 23: Black Friday Counterfeit Dangers, Fake...

Imitation Nation ·

2026/01/27

In this episode, we cover:The Korean Customs Service did a special inspection surge of counterfeit products leading up to America’s Black Friday and China’s Double 11 shopping days. Along with seizing over 600,000 counterfeit items, they did materials analysis on 250 of them, including jewelry that had heavy metals at over 5,000 times the limits for safety. They also found fake Labubu dolls with phthalates, which are carcinogens, at over 300 times the maximum level considered safe. Europol has

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38:55

Episode 22: Fake bibs in New York City Marathon,...

Imitation Nation ·

2025/12/05

This week, the world of counterfeits and illicit trade delivered some wild twists, from fake golf grips and forged marathon bibs to a major policy earthquake out of Europe. Here are our headlines: A Florida man pleaded guilty to trafficking counterfeit golf club grips that copied the Scotty Cameron brand, earning $170K from online sales between 2020–2024 and now facing up to 10 years in prison plus a $2M fine. An Inkster, Michigan, man is facing felony charges for allegedly using counterfeit $100

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26:16

Episode 21: The Cost of Counterfeits, Louboutin's...

Imitation Nation ·

2025/11/18

Senior Trade and Policy Analyst Piotr Stryszowski at the OECD published a piece this week in advance of the holidays called “The real cost of counterfeits is higher than you think,” about how the real cost of counterfeits isn’t just poor quality, but toxic materials and health consequences. OECD reports that counterfeit trade hit nearly $470 billion - that’s 2.3% of global trade. And it’s no longer just fake handbags. We’re talking auto parts, medicines, toys, even alcohol, products that can

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27:53

Episode 20: Fake Ozempic documentary, Baggu using...

Imitation Nation ·

2025/10/31

Nightline aired a special investigative report “The Dark Shot” on the rise in fake Ozempic with Special Agent Nicole Johnson of Homeland Security Investigations. The reporters found fake Ozempic with no prescription needed available online. They also went to the Port of Cincinnati where they watched them open some Spanish labeled Ozempic that’s not safe for Americans and unable to determine if its counterfeit or not. There was also an interview with legendary investigative reporter Katherine Eban,

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27:53

Episode 19: FedEx tariffs announcement, Belgium’s...

Imitation Nation ·

2025/10/24

In this episode, we cover:Fedex announced to analysts that the tariff chaos will hit their finances to a total tune of a billion dollars. $300mm of that is due to costs associated with clearing goods through customs, which has suddenly become infinitely more complex. Despite that, revenue they said will grow 4-6% this year, indicating that a massive fall off in shipping is not anticipated. For context, Fedex’s stock has declined 19% this year, which is a sign that the market really punished

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27:19

Episode 18: Fake vapes, Puma wins victory over a...

Imitation Nation ·

2025/09/22

Show notes - Imitation Nation #18In this episode, we cover: The International Trademark Association published a quick 14 page handout on making the case for Return on Investment for your company’s anticounterfeiting program. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), through the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) last week announced the seizure of 4.7 million units of unauthorized e-cigarette products with an estimated retail value of

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20:56

Episode 17: Fake meat, perfume, and lamborghini...

Imitation Nation ·

2025/09/15

In this episode, we cover:Interview with Amazon CCU Counterfeit Lamborghini Drinks Researchers develop new sensor to ‘detect counterfeit medicine’ 32,000 pounds of meat products recalled due to false USDA inspection marks. Counterfeit perfume on Walmart’s platform. Attorney General Nessel Announces Felony Charges Following FORCE Team Counterfeit Product Seizures If you have a story you want us to cover, let us know in the comments on our linkedin page.

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23:49

EMERGENCY POD: End of de minimis and Type 86: what is...

Imitation Nation ·

2025/08/29

On this week’s episode of Imitation Nation, we discuss one of the biggest trade policy shifts in years: the end of De Minimis, which officially expired at midnight through an Executive Order. This sudden end to a decades old policy is sending ripple effects through supply chains, as freight companies, freight forwarders and Post Offices across the globe are temporarily suspending or stopping shipments to the United States.We explore what this seismic change means for global commerce and we

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26:18

Imitation Nation Episode 16: The end of de minimis

Imitation Nation ·

2025/08/29

In this episode of Imitation Nation, hosts Shabbir Imber Safdar and Sven Bergmann break down one of the biggest trade shifts of 2025: the imminent and likely permanent end of the de minimis. With more than 1.3 billion packages entering the U.S. last year under this exemption, it’s about to get a lot harder for counterfeit goods to hide in the pile. But what does this change mean for brands, shippers, consumers and law enforcement? We discuss what it is, why it’s ending, how it might make

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63:44

Episode 15: End of de minimis and many other stories

Imitation Nation ·

2025/08/11

This White House has made big changes to De Minimis: For a look at the scale of packages, check out this CBS News piece. We cover the impact on counterfeit medicines, especially fake fentanyl pills, and techniques that companies might start to use to circumvent tariff uncertainty. The Trump trademark owners have complained about ecommerce platforms selling counterfeit versions of Trump-branded products and filed litigation. We also talk about a machine that makes counterfeit pills, the pill press,

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30:34

Episode 14: Operation Pangea 17, Lululemon suing...

Imitation Nation ·

2025/07/28

Operation Pangea 17 from Interpol was released. See this fancy graphic.Sven looked back at the previous 10 years of Operation Pangea and these results are record breaking by any measure. 50.4 million doses of illicit pharmaceuticals worth USD 65 million. The largest operation to date had been $11 million in illicit medicines. Arrest of 769 suspects and the dismantling of 123 criminal groups worldwide. In total, law enforcement agencies worldwide launched 1,728 investigations and issued 847

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30:30

Episode 13: Unusable Graphics Cards and a Win in the...

Imitation Nation ·

2025/07/08

Tom’s hardware review ran an article this week about a chinese pc repair shop that received four of these, and upon closer examination, three of them were fake and unrepairable and unusable. They had modified older cards and in some cases attached other parts to give the appearance of the 4090 unit but the fake one was still inoperable which you would have discovered the moment you plugged it in.StockX has reported it rejected nearly $10 million worth of counterfeit sneakers last year as part of a

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21:33

Episode 12: Operation RapTor, Fake Money, New...

Imitation Nation ·

2025/06/26

PSM did a video story on the Heal The World civil suit from Gilead Sciences, accusing the pharmacy in NYC of trafficking in counterfeit HIV medicine.We discuss the massive four-continent bust that Europol coordinated of dark web sellers of counterfeit controlled substances as part of Operation RapTor. We also discuss CBP’s enormous seizure of counterfeit Apple chargers. We think it must have been an entire container’s worth of fake chargers, given descriptions of the quantity. There was a bust

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28:12

Episode 11: Fishy Freight, Nike's Counterfeit Win,...

Imitation Nation ·

2025/06/09

PSM released a report this week on fishy freight shipments of medicine into the country, using data we pulled from the FDA’s medical freight shipments database. We are finding two kinds of fraud here. First, we’re seeing shipping manifests where the manufacturer listed on the report is not an FDA-registered entity, which means it’s been made in a facility never inspected by the FDA. Which means it’s illegal to enter the country.Second is that we’re seeing people misdeclare the product code on an

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30 results

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