Pandora, Amazon crack down on fake jewellery network

Pandora has collaborated with Amazon to bust an organised criminal network responsible for selling fake jewellery in several European countries. 

The investigation dates back to 2020, when Pandora’s brand protection unit was made aware of a series of customs seizures that pointed to two sellers operating a large-scale counterfeit network out of China.

In collaboration with Amazon’s Counterfeit Crimes Unit (CCU), Pandora gathered and supported Chinese law enforcement in executing a criminal raid and seizure of thousands of fake Pandora jewellery items.

The case was prosecuted in court in Shanghai, which in March 2025 found the operators guilty of selling counterfeited items and sentenced them to five years in prison combined and significant fines.

"As the world’s largest jewellery brand, we hold ourselves to the highest standards of quality, craftsmanship, and attention to detail and are committed to protecting our brand from the threat of counterfeit products," said Peter Ring, Pandora's general counsel.

"This successful collaboration with Amazon shows how impactful joint efforts can be in stopping counterfeiting operations," he added. "By combining our global brand protection expertise with Amazon’s investigative capabilities, we supported local law enforcement in dismantling a sophisticated criminal network."

In 2024, Pandora supported the removal of half a million webpages, social media accounts and other online content advertising fake products. That was an increase of 215% from the previous year, with the rise attributed to the use of artificial intelligence-powered detection tools. The company also supported the seizure of approximately 100,000 counterfeit products globally.

"Counterfeiting is one of the oldest crimes in history, and we're tackling it with our cutting-edge proactive tools and technology," commented Kebharu Smith, director of the CCU.

"Our collaboration with Pandora successfully dismantled a ring of bad actors, removing counterfeits from the broader supply chain. While we've made significant progress over the past five years, our mission remains clear – we won't rest until we drive counterfeits to zero."

A recent report from the OECD and EUIPO, estimated that the global trade in counterfeit goods was worth around $467bn in 2021, or around 2.3 per cent of total global imports.

Photo by Alex Stavrică on Unsplash