'Fraudsters' stooping as low as selling bogus N95 masks online. Lawmakers must act.|Opinion

Throughout the pandemic, e-commerce has played a pivotal role in bringing products to Ohio families’ doorsteps.

Unfortunately, fraudsters and professional thieves are taking advantage of this growth in online shopping by peddling their counterfeit and stolen goods to unsuspecting shoppers.

Hiding behind fake screen names and bogus businesses they easily set up on third-party marketplaces like Amazon and Facebook Marketplace, these bad actors are able to rip off consumers and often, evade law enforcement.

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To stop these criminals and protect consumers, lawmakers must pass the Integrity, Notification, and Fairness in Online Retail Marketplaces for Consumers (INFORM Consumers) Act, a bipartisan piece of legislation that would protect those right here in Ohio. 

Online marketplaces are riddled with counterfeits — fake products that are unsafe, harmful and disregard the robust safety standards Americans expect from any trusted retailer or manufacturer. These fraudulent sellers are hawking everything from fake automobile parts to counterfeit car seats to toys.

These criminals have stooped even lower by selling knockoff N95 masks during the pandemic.  

The counterfeit industry not only puts families at risk, it threatens American economic competitiveness.

Ninety percent of all counterfeit goods come from China. These illegitimate sales have cost American retailers nearly $54.1 billion in sales.

Unfortunately, e-commerce platforms have gone above and beyond to recruit China-based sellers for their marketplaces, despite their lack of concern for the health and well-being of Ohio consumers.  

However, counterfeits are just half the problem.

Organized retail crime rings —professional criminals who rip products off store shelves for a living — are now selling their stolen goods on online marketplaces. Across the nation, these criminal syndicates have been able to make off with over $68 billion in stolen goods.

In Ohio, retailers have faced over $2 billion in stolen goods.

This criminal activity has cost over 21,000 jobs and over $1 billion in wages. From Perrysburg to Grove City, these brazen criminals are putting Ohio retailers and consumers at considerable financial and physical risk.  

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These criminals are often violent, causing hard-working retail employees in Ohio to confront dangerous criminals. At the end of the day, professional theft rings will do whatever it takes to make a profit, even if that means assaulting innocent workers and unheeding customers in the process.  

While Ohio and federal law enforcement efforts are critical in stopping these nefarious activities, authorities need help. The INFORM Consumers Act, which just passed the U.S. House as part of the America COMPETES Act, would help prevent criminals from hawking counterfeit and stolen products online.  

Under the legislation, e-commerce platforms would be required to verify their high-volume, third-party sellers, and sellers would need to disclose basic information to consumers.

When Ohio shoppers purchase items from their local retailer, they know exactly who they’re buying from and where to turn if something should go wrong. The same should be true of shopping online with third-party marketplaces. It’s an important step toward greater transparency and accountability.

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Sen. Rob Portman should support this common-sense measure and ensure that it makes its way to President Joe Biden’s desk. While there are very few things Democrats and Republicans can agree on, stopping the sale of counterfeit and stolen products is something that any lawmaker in Washington can get behind.  

State lawmakers in Columbus are showing Washington this is an important priority, voting overwhelmingly in both chambers in favor of state legislation that mirrors federal efforts. State lawmakers have made this a priority, local law enforcement have made it a priority, and retailers are desperate for Congress to follow their lead.   

Unless we prevent criminals from using online marketplaces to make a profit by selling dangerous and stolen goods, counterfeiting and organized retail crime will continue to harm Ohio businesses and shoppers.

Congress can help Ohio families and local businesses by passing the INFORM Consumers Act and bringing our nation’s consumer protection laws into the 21st century.   

Michael Hanson is the spokesperson for Buy Safe America Coalition, which represents retailers, consumer groups, manufacturers, intellectual property advocates and law enforcement officials who support efforts to protect consumers and communities from the sale of counterfeit and stolen goods.