The Neiman Marcus Group (NMG) and Misses Kisses have joined the Buy Safe America Coalition, a diverse group of retailers, consumer groups, wholesaler-distributors, manufacturers, and law enforcement officials that support efforts to combat organized retail crime and protect consumers and communities from the sale of counterfeit and stolen goods.
“Organized retail crime rings and online fraudsters come with considerable physical and financial costs for retailers, their customers and associates, as well as the communities they serve,” said Jon Phillips, vice president of loss prevention, Neiman Marcus Group. “NMG is joining forces with the Buy Safe America Coalition in an effort to create more transparency online and reduce the anonymity criminals exploit when they sell stolen or counterfeit goods on e-commerce marketplaces.”
Recently, the Buy Safe America Coalition released two studies that quantify the economic and human impact of counterfeit goods and organized retail crime. Among other findings, the studies found that just 21 product types account for over 60 percent of all contraband goods entering the United States—costing domestic retailers nearly $54.1 billion in sales—and as much as $68.9 billion worth of products were stolen from retailers in 2019.
“The COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent explosion of e-commerce activity has resulted in a flood of dangerous counterfeit products being sold online,” said Amanda Marie, owner, Misses Kisses. “All Misses Kisses bras and products are put through rigorous quality and medical-grade safety tests to ensure they are safe, unlike the knockoff versions of our products found on many leading e-commerce sites. We are proud to join the Buy Safe America Coalition and support its efforts to foster more transparent shopping experiences for consumers.”
The Buy Safe America Coalition continues to lead efforts to address the growing problem of stolen and counterfeit products sold on e-commerce platforms by urging Washington to pass the INFORM Consumers Act. This legislation would modernize consumer protection laws and require online marketplaces to collect and verify basic business information from sellers, making it difficult for criminals to make a living selling stolen and counterfeit goods online.