Over 1,000 Fake AirPods Pro Seized at Dulles International Airport, Counterfeiters Would Have Made $290,000

United States Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers seized more than 1,000 pairs of counterfeit AirPods Pro 2 devices from Washington Dulles International Airport back in March, the CBP announced yesterday.

airpods pro 2 purple
Four shipments bound for Fairfax County, Virginia were inspected on March 15, and investigators found the 1,000 knockoff AirPods and 50 fake Apple Watches. The products were shipped from China, and counterfeiters would have made more than $290,000 selling the goods at Apple's suggested retail price had they been genuine.

The counterfeit Apple products were seized on March 29, but no one has been charged in the case.

"Unscrupulous manufacturers and vendors illegally profit on the sale of substandard counterfeit products at the expense and safety of American consumers," said Christine Waugh, CBP's Acting Area Port Director for the Area Port of Washington, D.C. "Customs and Border Protection urges consumers to protect their health and wallets by buying authentic consumer goods from reputable or authorized vendors."

The CBP says that during fiscal 2022, it seized close to 21,000 shipments containing counterfeit goods that violate the U.S. Intellectual Property Rights enforcement program.

Popular Stories

Apple iPhone 16e Feature

Apple Announces iPhone 16e With A18 Chip and Apple Intelligence, Pricing Starts at $599

Wednesday February 19, 2025 8:02 am PST by
Apple today introduced the iPhone 16e, its newest entry-level smartphone. The device succeeds the third-generation iPhone SE, which has now been discontinued. The iPhone 16e features a larger 6.1-inch OLED display, up from a 4.7-inch LCD on the iPhone SE. The display has a notch for Face ID, and this means that Apple no longer sells any iPhones with a Touch ID fingerprint button, marking the ...
iphone 17 pro asherdipps

iPhone 17 Pro Models Rumored to Feature Aluminum Frame Instead of Titanium Frame

Tuesday February 18, 2025 12:02 pm PST by
Over the years, Apple has switched from an aluminum frame to a stainless steel frame to a titanium frame for its highest-end iPhones. And now, it has been rumored that Apple will go back to using aluminum for three out of four iPhone 17 models. In an investor note with research firm GF Securities, obtained by MacRumors this week, Apple supply chain analyst Jeff Pu said the iPhone 17, iPhone...
apple launch feb 2025 alt

Here Are the New Apple Products We're Still Expecting This Spring

Thursday February 20, 2025 5:06 am PST by
Now that Apple has announced its new more affordable iPhone 16e, our thoughts turn to what else we are expecting from the company this spring. There are three product categories that we are definitely expecting to get upgraded before spring has ended. Keep reading to learn what they are. If we're lucky, Apple might make a surprise announcement about a completely new product category. M4...
Generic iOS 18

Here's When Apple Will Release iOS 18.4

Wednesday February 19, 2025 11:38 am PST by
Following the launch of the iPhone 16e, Apple updated its iOS 18, iPadOS 18, and macOS Sequoia pages to give a narrower timeline on when the next updates are set to launch. All three pages now state that new Apple Intelligence features and languages will launch in early April, an update from the more broader April timeframe that Apple provided before. The next major point updates will be iOS ...
apple launch feb 2025

Tim Cook Teases an 'Apple Launch' Next Wednesday

Thursday February 13, 2025 8:07 am PST by
In a social media post today, Apple CEO Tim Cook teased an upcoming "launch" of some kind scheduled for Wednesday, February 19. "Get ready to meet the newest member of the family," he said, with an #AppleLaunch hashtag. The post includes a short video with an animated Apple logo inside a circle. Cook did not provide an exact time for the launch, or share any other specific details, so...
apple c1

Apple Unveils 'C1' as First Custom Cellular Modem

Wednesday February 19, 2025 8:08 am PST by
Apple today announced its first custom cellular modem with the name "C1," debuting in the all-new iPhone 16e. The new modem contributes to the iPhone 16e's power efficiency, giving it the longest battery life of any iPhone with a 6.1-inch display, such as the iPhone 15 and iPhone 16. Expanding the benefits of Apple silicon, C1 is the first modem designed by Apple and the most...
Apple Northbrook

Apple Store Permanently Closing at Struggling Mall in Chicago Area

Tuesday February 18, 2025 8:46 pm PST by
Apple is permanently closing its retail store at the Northbrook Court shopping mall in the Chicago area. The company confirmed the upcoming closure today in a statement, but it has yet to provide a closing date for the location. Apple Northbrook opened in 2005, and the store moved to a larger space in the mall in 2017. Apple confirmed that affected employees will continue to work for the...

Top Rated Comments

segfaultdotorg Avatar
24 months ago
The one good thing about the knockoffs is that Apple won't roll out a firmware update which destroys the active noise cancellation.
Score: 21 Votes (Like | Disagree)
IDontCareLol Avatar
24 months ago

A bit exaggerated, who would buy counterfeit Airpods with likely functional flaws at the same price as Apple retail?
Would've sold for $100 at most
We see fake AirPods all the time. Most people say they bought them on eBay, market place, regional equivalent site or Amazon for a ‘sale price’. At a glance they’re impossible to tell apart from authentic Apple ones. Everyone thinks they’re buying authentic.
Score: 19 Votes (Like | Disagree)
gpat Avatar
24 months ago
A bit exaggerated, who would buy counterfeit Airpods with likely functional flaws at the same price as Apple retail?
Would've sold for $100 at most
Score: 18 Votes (Like | Disagree)
TheYayAreaLiving ?️ Avatar
24 months ago
This article is another living proof of why Apple should release the exclusive Transparent Airpods :)

Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
orbital~debris Avatar
24 months ago
All these people buying knock-off versions from wherever… I am always curious if they realise they’re missing all the nice touches enabled by Apple ‘special sauce’ but don’t mind because “cheaper”, or if they just think that the limit to AirPod coolness is the white & silver cosmetic design.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
enigmaaron Avatar
24 months ago
Checks google, yup there’s an Amazon fulfillment center in Fairfax County, VA. Those of you wondering who would buy these, they sell them on Amazon as seemingly legit. If it seems too good to be true you gotta verify who the seller is. Amazon is plagued with counterfeit products.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)