CBP Seizes Over $14 Million in Counterfeit Goods During Operations in First Half of FY 2017 - U.S. Customs & Border Protection
As a result of four operations conducted at five ports in the first half of FY 2017, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) seized:
• 821 shipments of counterfeit goods
• With an estimated Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price (MSRP) of over $14 Million.
Operations were led by CBP’s Mobile Intellectual Property Rights Enforcement Team (MIPET). MIPET is a special task force comprised of top IPR enforcement experts including CBP officers, import specialists, international trade specialists, and paralegal specialists from a variety of offices within the agency including the Apparel, Footwear, and Textile; Automotive and Aerospace; Consumer Products and Mass Merchandising; Electronics; and Machinery Centers of Excellence and Expertise; and IPR National Targeting and Analysis Group. The team performs IPR enforcement operations on the front lines to prevent the entry of counterfeit goods into the U.S.
In November 2016, Charge-Up, a joint operation with Hong Kong Customs was conducted at the express consignment facility in Cincinnati and focused on seizing IPR violative electronics and bearings.
In December 2017, Bad Gifts III was conducted at the International Mail Facility (IMF) at Chicago and focused on handbags, watches, sunglasses, apparel and footwear.
In January 2017, Super Fake III, was conducted at the express consignment facility in Cincinnati and Houston Air Cargo targeting Super Bowl apparel and footwear.
In March 2017, Operation New York, was conducted at the express consignment facilities at JFK and focused on auto parts, handbags, watches and sunglasses.
The enforcement of IPR is a CBP Priority Trade Issue (PTI). PTIs represent high-risk areas that can cause significant revenue loss, harm the United States economy, or threaten the health and safety of the American people.
OTEXA: Announcements - Office of Textile and Apparel
05/10/2017 – Determination to Approve CAFTA-DR Commercial Availability Request Certain Two-Way Stretch Polyester/Rayon/Spandex Twill Weave Fabric: 209.2017.04.03.Fabric.ST&RforMedline
ITC: New Releases, Documents, Announcements
BALTIMORE – U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agriculture specialists put an end to the globe-trotting ways of one Khapra beetle that arrived in Baltimore May 4 in a shipment of screws from Thailand.
The Khapra beetle is considered one of the world’s most destructive insect pests of grains, cereals and stored foods and remains the only insect in which CBP takes regulatory action against even while the insect pest is in a dead state.
CBP agriculture specialists discovered four cast skins and one live adult beetle while inspecting the shipping container. CBP submitted the specimen to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) entomologist who confirmed on Wednesday that the specimen was Trogoderma granarium Everts, commonly known as Khapra beetle.
Thailand is a country not known to have Khapra beetle. CBP agriculture specialists researched the shipping container’s movement and learned that it passed through endemic Khapra beetle countries, including Saudi Arabia in April 2016 and the Sudan from May through July 2016. The container then transited through Malaysia, Thailand and Singapore , which are non-KB nations, before it arrived in Baltimore May 4.
Khapra beetle can also tolerate insecticides and fumigants, and can survive for long periods without food.
“The Khapra beetle presents a serious threat to our nation’s agriculture and our economy. For this highly destructive insect pest to hitchhike around the world before it arrived from a non-KB nation is concerning to Customs and Border Protection agriculture specialists.” said Dianna Bowman, CBP Area Port Director for the Area Port of Baltimore. “Our best defense against destructive pests, like the Khapra beetle, is to prevent their entry into the United States.”
CBP ordered the container be re-exported.
The Khapra beetle is a ‘dirty feeder’ because it damages more grain than it consumes, and because it contaminates grain with body parts and hair. These contaminants may cause gastrointestinal irritation in adults and sickens infants.
According to the USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, previous infestations of Khapra beetle have resulted in massive, long-term-control and eradication efforts at great cost to the American taxpayer.
For example, California implemented extensive eradication measures following a Khapra beetle infestation discovered there in 1953. The effort was deemed successful, but at a cost of approximately $11 million. Calculated in today’s dollars, that would be about $90 million.
“This Khapra beetle interception from a non-KB nation demonstrates the need each day for Customs and Border Protection agriculture specialists to exercise vigilance during inspections of goods entering the United States,” said Casey Owen Durst, CBP Director, Baltimore Field Operations. “Safeguarding America’s agriculture industries remains an enforcement priority for CBP, and it’s a mission that we take very serious.”
CBP Agriculture Specialists have extensive training and experience in the biological sciences and agricultural inspection. On a typical day nationally, they inspect over 1 million people as well as air, land and sea cargo imported to the United States and intercept 4,638 prohibited meat, plant materials or animal products, including 404 agriculture pests and diseases.
Read more about what CBP accomplished on a Typical Day during 2016.
Learn more about CBP’s agriculture protection mission.
FTC and Federal, State and International Partners Announce Major Crackdown on Tech Support Scams - Federal Trade Commission
Fraudsters tricked consumers into thinking their computers were infected, then charged them hundreds of dollars for removal of non-existent viruses, malware
The Federal Trade Commission, along with federal, state and international law enforcement partners, today announced “Operation Tech Trap,” a nationwide and international crackdown on tech support scams that trick consumers into believing their computers are infected with viruses and malware, and then charge them hundreds of dollars for unnecessary repairs.
As part of this coordinated effort, the FTC and its partners are announcing 16 new actions, including complaints, settlements, indictments, and guilty pleas, against deceptive tech support operations. This brings to 29 the number of law enforcement actions brought by Operation Tech Trap partners in the last year to stop tech support scams.
“Tech support scams prey on consumers’ legitimate concerns about malware, viruses and other cyber threats,” said Tom Pahl, Acting Director of the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection. “The FTC is proud to work with federal, state and international partners to take down these scams, and help consumers learn how they can safeguard their computers against real cybersecurity threats.”
“Tech support scams prey on people’s fear of losing important work, family photos or sensitive identification information. Using that fear scammers trick thousands of consumers into paying millions of dollars to fix problems that never existed,” said Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi, who appeared at a news conference in Tampa, Florida with Pahl. “These scams will not be tolerated in Florida and that is why we are bringing more cases, against more tech support scammers than any other state in the country—in an effort to protect consumers and recover money for victims.”
Most of the scammers targeted in Operation Tech Trap followed the same pattern of misconduct. They caused consumers’ computers to display advertisements designed to resemble pop-up security alerts from Microsoft, Apple or other technology companies. These ads warned consumers that their computers are infected with viruses, are being hacked, or are otherwise compromised. The pop-up messages urged consumers to immediately call a toll-free number for assistance. Some of the pop-up ads even included a countdown clock, allegedly representing the time remaining before the computer hard drive would be deleted.
Once consumers called the toll-free number, they were connected to a call center and pitched by telemarketers who claimed to be affiliated with well-known technology companies such as Microsoft or Apple. Consumers were told that in order to diagnose the problem, they must provide the telemarketers with remote access to their computer. After gaining access, the telemarketers purported to run a series of “diagnostic tests” that inevitably revealed the existence of grave problems requiring immediate repair by one of their “certified technicians.” Through these high-pressure tactics, the defendants would persuade consumers to pay hundreds of dollars for unnecessary computer repair services, service plans, anti-virus protection or software, and other products and services.
Click here for entire article
FDA Withdraws Draft Guidance on the Applicability of Color Additive Regulations Authorizing the Use of Certain Fruit Juice and Vegetable Juice - Food & Drug Administration
The Food and Drug Administration is withdrawing a 2016 draft guidance on the use of fruit juice and vegetable juice as color additives based on public comments that raised substantive technical concerns. The concerns include that the guidance promoted practices that may be inconsistent with current industry practices intended to enhance food safety.
Historically, the FDA has responded to industry questions on the use of vegetable juices and fruit juices as color additives on a case-by-case basis. Color additives used in food must be approved for use by the FDA. The FDA has authorized the use of juice from certain fruit and vegetables (21 CFR 73.250 and 21 CFR 73.260, respectively) as color additives in food. The draft guidance was developed to assist industry understanding whether plant-derived color additives meet the specifications in these regulations or require separate approval as color additives. Although the FDA is withdrawing this draft guidance, the regulations authorizing certain plant-derived color additives remain in place and the agency will continue to respond on a case-by-case basis to industry questions on these topics. In addition, the FDA intends to continue evaluating information submitted to its docket and consulting with stakeholders in considering next steps.
Like all color additives in packaged foods, fruit juice and vegetable juice color additives must be declared in the ingredient label statement and must be safe under intended conditions of use. Fruit juice and vegetable juice when used as color additives in food may be declared as “Artificial Color,” “Artificial Color Added,” or “Color Added,” or by an equally informative term that makes clear that a color additive has been used in the food, such as “Colored with Fruit Juice” or “Vegetable Juice Color.”
Port of Los Angeles and GE Transportation Launch Solution to Digitize Maritime Shipping - Port of Los Angeles
As Infrastructure Week begins, GE's "In the Wild" series gives an inside look at the partnership that helps goods reach consumers faster
LOS ANGELES, May 16, 2017 - (NYSE:GE) - Last November, GE Transportation and the Port of Los Angeles announced a partnership to develop a first-of-its-kind digital solution to keep cargo flowing efficiently through America’s largest container port. Since, the partners have been working together to build a platform that digitizes maritime shipping data and makes it available to cargo owners and supply chain operators through secure, channeled access.
As Infrastructure Week begins nationwide, the digital solution has launched on a pilot basis at APM Terminals with Maersk Shipping Line and Mediterranean Shipping Company. Major retailers such as The Home Depot and Lowe’s, among others, are participating in the project. It promises to provide not only advanced visibility but a collaborative view of data for all the stakeholders across the ocean supply chain. Initial performance results from the pilot are expected in July.
"By working together to share data in a secure and controlled environment, we have already seen the potential for tremendous benefits for importers, truckers, shipping lines, terminals, chassis providers and the entire supply chain," said Port of Los Angeles Executive Director Gene Seroka. "Greater insight leads to better planning and lower cost, all of which have a direct impact on every company that is involved in international trade."
To illuminate the complex operations of America’s largest container port and the transformational benefits of this digital solution, GE gave Alie Ward and Adam Savage first access as part of it’s new In the Wild web series. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-VWIQAx1Cnc. The episode shows how disparate data sources are being integrated from players across the supply chain to create a single source of information for the entire shipping process.
It also shows how port operators are working with the Port of Los Angeles to execute the pilot, by sharing information and gaining earlier visibility and increased efficiency into how cargo moves into, within and out of the port for shippers, terminal operators, trucks, and railroads.
"Our work with the Port of Los Angeles has the potential to transform how ports across the country, and even the world, operate, driving productivity from ship to shore and from the terminal to the customer," said Jamie Miller, GE Transportation president and CEO. "It’s an honor to partner together on a game-changing solution that could have industry wide implications."
For ongoing updates about the pilot, visit http://getransportation.com/port-of-la.
About GE Transportation
At GE Transportation, we are in the business of realizing potential. We are a global technology leader and supplier of equipment, services and solutions to the rail, mining, marine, stationary power and drilling industries. Our innovations help customers deliver goods and services with greater speed and savings using our advanced manufacturing techniques and connected machines. Our digital solutions, which provide data-driven insights to improve efficiency, utilize Predix - GE’s cloud-based operating system for the Industrial Internet. Established more than a century ago, GE Transportation is a division of the General Electric Company that began as a pioneer in passenger and freight locomotives. That innovative spirit still drives GE Transportation today and is strengthened by our ability to serve customers more holistically through the GE Store – a global exchange of knowledge, technology and tools across all GE businesses that ultimately provides better outcomes for customers. GE Transportation is headquartered in Chicago, IL, and employs approximately 10,000 employees worldwide.
About the Port of Los Angeles
The Port of Los Angeles, America’s Port® and the premier gateway for international commerce, is located in San Pedro Bay, 25 miles south of downtown Los Angeles. This thriving seaport not only sustains its competitive edge with record-setting cargo operations, but is also known for groundbreaking environmental initiatives, progressive security measures, diverse recreational and educational facilities, and emerging LA Waterfront. The Port of Los Angeles encompasses 7,500 acres of land and water along 43 miles of waterfront. It features 27 passenger and cargo terminals, including automobile, breakbulk, container, dry and liquid bulk, multi-use, and warehouse facilities that handle billions of dollars’ worth of cargo each year.