If you are in the market for a new watch, you’ll definitely want to see the latest counterfeit bust. Customs and Border Patrol has been cracking down on shipments of fake items, and last summer it seized a container of fake Cartier watches, which could have fetched $4.2 million if real.

This particular shipment was coming through Indianapolis, originated in Hong Kong, and was bound for New York. The CBP called in experts from one of its Centers of Excellence and Expertise to double-check the products. Sure enough, they were fake.

On fake watches: “Think twice before purchasing”

LaFonda D. Sutton-Burke, Director of Field Operations, Chicago Field Office, said, “CBP encourages honest trade and urges consumers to think twice before purchasing merchandise from unfamiliar online entities.”

This is far from the only industry revealed to be full of fakes. CBP has also intercepted $25 million worth of counterfeit Cartier and Van Cleef and Arpels jewelry, a shipment of pythons and tarantulas, and of course counterfeit Labubu.  

“Purchasing counterfeit goods enables criminal enterprises, and the profits made from these items fund their illicit activities. Officers at the Port of Indianapolis are dedicated to the CBP mission and work vigilantly for American consumers by stopping the flow of pirated merchandise.” Translation: If you find a Cartier watch on Wish, it’s probably too good to be true.