Social media influencer sentenced for selling counterfeit goods online

A man who promoted and sold counterfeit designer clothing and mobile phones to more than 20,000 Instagram followers has been sentenced.

Jack Allen, 20, of Churchfield Lane, Castleford, made over £14,300 after promoting the items on his Instagram account, @CounterClothing297, and as ‘The Masked Gang Man’ on YouTube and a second Instagram account.

Allen pleaded guilty at Leeds Magistrates Court on 7 September 2022 to two offences of distributing articles infringing trademarks, following an investigation by City of London Police’s Police Intellectual Property Crime Unit (PIPCU). He was sentenced to 16 weeks imprisonment, suspended for 12 months, ordered to complete 150 hours of unpaid work and pay a £128 surcharge.

Detective Constable Daryl Fryatt, from City of London Police’s Police Intellectual Property Crime Unit (PIPCU), said:

“Allen thought he was on to a winner by using Instagram and YouTube to find potential customers for his business and encourage members of the public to purchase counterfeit goods.

“While he ran multiple accounts and even attempted to hide his identity, our investigation uncovered that he had made thousands of pounds from his fraudulent business.

"Selling fake goods to the public will land you with a criminal record, as this case shows.”

Detectives were made aware of the accounts in March 2021, after a legitimate brand identified items sold by Allen as counterfeit.  

A review of Allen’s Instagram profile revealed that he advertised forged identification documents and currency. It also linked him to a second Instagram account and YouTube channel named ‘The Masked Gang Man’, where he shared videos of himself reviewing counterfeit items while wearing a face mask and sunglasses to conceal his identity.

Further purchases arranged via his Instagram account in April 2021 were also confirmed as fake, including a designer necklace and watch, jumper and mobile phone.

Allen arranged the sale of 15 counterfeit smartphones for £1,750 over Instagram in July 2021. The following month, he offered to sell a further 40 phones for £4,400.

He was arrested by PIPCU officers in September 2021. The unit seized three devices and a large quantity of counterfeit footwear and mobile phones, thought to be worth an estimated £10,300.

Matthew Cope, Deputy Director of IP Enforcement at the Intellectual Property Office (IPO), said:

“Criminals are targeting online platforms with illegal counterfeit goods that are often defective, harm consumer confidence and help sustain criminality. This undermines legitimate sellers and causes damage to individuals and communities.

“The IPO welcomes the ongoing activity to clamp down on the sale of such illicit goods, working in partnership with the police and industry to help protect communities from this type of crime.”

During his police interview, Allen answered ‘no comment’ to all questions, but confirmed that he was ‘The Masked Gang Man’ on Instagram and YouTube.