You Guys See This E.Manning/NYG Fraud Story?

[Blitzu]

Originally Posted by Tabe

That's the annual "the NFL and FBI bust fake jersey sellers the week of the Super Bowl" story. Happens every single year and nothing ever changes. One visit to Ebay and a search for any star player will show you that 95% of the merchandise out there is fake. Heck, a few years ago I got a Christmas catalog from Ebay touting the low prices of various items - and it featured a fake NFL jersey right on the cover. The story in question isn't related to fake game-used memorabilia but fake merchandise for fans and the like. It's the $39 "authentic" jerseys from China.

Not FBI- HSI, homeland security investigations. We're a completely different agency with border search authority. I worked at the O'Hare mail unit during the last Super Bowl picking off *thousands* of fake jerseys that could easily be sold off as authentic jerseys from China.

They come in year round but always pick up right before certain major events.

[Tabe]

Originally Posted by Blitzu

Not FBI- HSI, homeland security investigations. We're a completely different agency with border search authority. I worked at the O'Hare mail unit during the last Super Bowl picking off *thousands* of fake jerseys that could easily be sold off as authentic jerseys from China.

They come in year round but always pick up right before certain major events.

Apologies for the confusion but... same idea . There's one of these big counterfeit busts every single year at the Super Bowl.

[Blitzu]

Originally Posted by Tabe

Apologies for the confusion but... same idea . There's one of these big counterfeit busts every single year at the Super Bowl.

We get touchy when the FBI steals our press

[drcy]

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[I Only Smoke 4 the Cards]

Originally Posted by Blitzu

Not FBI- HSI, homeland security investigations. We're a completely different agency with border search authority. I worked at the O'Hare mail unit during the last Super Bowl picking off *thousands* of fake jerseys that could easily be sold off as authentic jerseys from China.

They come in year round but always pick up right before certain major events.

I have never heard of anyone in the Homeland Security field refer to it as HSI.

[I Only Smoke 4 the Cards]

Originally Posted by I Only Smoke 4 the Cards

I have never heard of anyone in the Homeland Security field refer to it as HSI.

I just googled HSI and it makes sense now - it's part of ICE.

[ullmandds]

Another good Keith O piece...I like that he brings these scoops to the mainstream.

On another note I've never been attracted to the memorabilia, autograph, game used side of this hobby. I have pieces I've obtained throughout my life...mostly as a child that I know are real because I was there...but I couldn't imagine taking someone's word that a jersey, autograph or whatever is what they say...because this world is full of crooks...and it's way too easy to fake this stuff.

Someone posted a remark that he felt that today...if someone really wanted to fake vintage, pre WW cards...he unequivocally felt this could be done...and noone would know. I don't believe this...in my brain it is not possible even with the technology we have at out disposal to make absolute replicas of these old cards...but all of this other stuff...absolutely!!!!

[Blitzu]

Originally Posted by I Only Smoke 4 the Cards

I just googled HSI and it makes sense now - it's part of ICE.

Yes, we are under ICE, and were originally titled as ICE Special Agents, but over the last two years we have made a push to separate ourselves from ICE. We changed our badges, credentials, jackets and all other branding logo's to get rid of ICE from our name to HSI. The agency wants to make a push to show that we do much more than traditional immigration and custom related investigations. Seeing also that most of the negative press of "ICE Agents" raiding villages and separating families was from the poorly named title for the junior enforcement agents as "Immigration Enforcement Agents", who also called themselves ICE Agents for short, and our investigations division- which is totally separate from the Immigration enforcement division- were titled ICE Special Agents, and also commonly also referred to as ICE Agents. It led to a lot of bad press and false correlations that was taking away from the good the investigative agents were doing as the main investigative branch of DHS.

Therefore, we made a push to try and separate all entirely from ICE. It didn't work all that well, and instead we changed our division name from Office of Investigations, to Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). They also changed all our badges and credentials to re-title us HSI Special Agents and pulled ICE from everything.

Not that this is applicable at all to the thread discussion, but it might seem interesting to one or two of you.

[I Only Smoke 4 the Cards]

Originally Posted by Blitzu

Yes, we are under ICE, and were originally titled as ICE Special Agents, but over the last two years we have made a push to separate ourselves from ICE. We changed our badges, credentials, jackets and all other branding logo's to get rid of ICE from our name to HSI. The agency wants to make a push to show that we do much more than traditional immigration and custom related investigations. Seeing also that most of the negative press of "ICE Agents" raiding villages and separating families was from the poorly named title for the junior enforcement agents as "Immigration Enforcement Agents", who also called themselves ICE Agents for short, and our investigations division- which is totally separate from the Immigration enforcement division- were titled ICE Special Agents, and also commonly also referred to as ICE Agents. It led to a lot of bad press and false correlations that was taking away from the good the investigative agents were doing as the main investigative branch of DHS.

Therefore, we made a push to try and separate all entirely from ICE. It didn't work all that well, and instead we changed our division name from Office of Investigations, to Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). They also changed all our badges and credentials to re-title us HSI Special Agents and pulled ICE from everything.

Not that this is applicable at all to the thread discussion, but it might seem interesting to one or two of you.

Thanks for the info. I was in the Homeland Security Studies program at Tulane so I find it pretty interesting.

[drcy]

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[Runscott]

Originally Posted by drcy

Now, if someone wanted to make a brand new and previously unknown issue using the old printing technology or if they had the original printing plates, that would be a different situation.

Yes, and if they could create the technology in 1909, then, even though it's been abandoned now, it could certainly be created today. The problem is still what shows up under the microscope - there is not pattern to lithography, especially the intricate stuff they created in the late 1800's. They even had special jobs for 'painters' (wrong term I'm sure) who created all those beautiful but not predictable, dot patterns in the backgrounds.

From my meager knowledge of the process, it seems like re-creating these lithographs would be similar to forging a painting. I think you could do it, and even come up with, for example, a copy of a T206 Wagner that at first (or even second) glance would be almost exact, but if you looked at specific areas under a magnifier and compared, the forgery would be immediately noticed. But...plastic slabs could take care of that. Get it slabbed and it's probably safe from detection.