The U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency seized a massive shipment of counterfeit Lightning connectors and USB cables and adapters in Anchorage, Alaska several days ago. This was one of the larger counterfeit shipments that the CBP discovered, and identified its origin as a manufacturer in China. According to Frank Falcon, a CBP spokesperson, the knock off Lightning connectors looked very similar to the genuine Apple connectors, with fake Apple logos and Underwriters Laboratories (UL) trademark icons.

However, Falcon noted that it was obvious that the connectors were fake because they were packaged in plastic “blister” packs, as opposed to Apple’s white cardboard packaging. Falcon also mentioned that because the products are from a manufacturer in another country, ti would be hard to do much about the shipments. However, he did note that it would bring about more scrutiny and make them aware if any future shipments were to come through.

In total, the counterfeit Lightning connectors were priced at about $635,000, however, they would have likely been sold at much lower prices. It is unclear if all of the Lightning connectors and adapters were functional. Apple has had an issue with counterfeit products in the past, including fake iPods, iPhones, and iPads and in several cases, fake Apple Stores.

{Via iMore}

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