This resource presents the creation of a database to track counterfeit pharmaceutical, electronic, and food crimes with open-source information, and its utility in analyzing counterfeit schemes, victims, and offenders in the U.S. from 2000-2015.
Counterfeit products not only cause financial damages, they also threaten public health and safety. There is a lack of reliable data that would enable research to better understand counterfeiting crimes and inform anti-counterfeiting strategies. NIJ-supported researchers created a database of counterfeit pharmaceutical, electronic, and food crimes with open-source information and used it to analyze counterfeit schemes, victims, and offenders in the U.S. from 2000-2015. The database is intended to be a first step toward the development of an empirical foundation and evidence-driven baseline for future product counterfeiting analyses Ultimately, this foundation could aid in developing lessons for law enforcement agencies on preventing, detecting, investigating, and responding to product counterfeiting.