Sick conmen flood UK with fake Remembrance Day poppy merch worth £150k

SICK conmen have flooded the UK with fake poppy branded merchandise worth a staggering £150,000.

Jewellery, key rings and scarves were seized by Border Force agents at Tilbury Docks in Essex on Wednesday.

Officers from the mobile International Trade Team examined an air freight consignment from China, bound for Manchester, and upon inspecting the shipment found poppy branded goods including 1,212 scarves, 5,400 badges and 1,200 key rings.

People wear poppies as a sign of remembrance for those who lost their lives in conflict. The British Legion describes the poppy as a “symbol of remembrance and hope”.

Each year the Poppy Appeal raises money for servicemen and women who are still alive but whose lives have been changed by war.

Amongst the consignment, officers also discovered 600 four petal brooches which were later confirmed to infringe the ‘four-petal’ copyright held by the Earl Haig Fund Scotland.

Mark Kennedy, Border Force Acting Deputy Director, said: “Had these fake goods entered the market, they could have cheated thousands of pounds from unsuspecting members of the public and diverted vital funds away from the Royal British Legion.

“My officers work around the clock at ports, airports and mail sorting centres identifying and seizing counterfeit goods and their diligence has proved vital here.

“All counterfeits cheat honest traders and we are determined to crack down on this type of criminality. Border Force works closely with partner law enforcement agencies to ensure co-ordinated action against those who attempt to import fake goods.”

A spokesperson for The Royal British Legion and Poppyscotland said: “The two-petal poppy is a registered trademark owned by The Royal British Legion and the four-petal poppy is a registered trademark owned by Poppyscotland.

“We have a responsibility to make sure that these trademarks are protected so that the public can be sure that their donations are going directly to a registered charity.

“The Royal British Legion and Poppyscotland offer a number of poppy accessories which raise much-needed funds for our charitable work.

“By donating for a poppy through our official channels, or corporate partners, the public can rest assured that their money will go towards supporting our Armed Forces community.”

We pay for your stories! Do you have a story for The Sun Online news team? Email us at tips@the-sun.co.uk or call 0207 782 4368 . We pay for videos too. Click here to upload yours