400,000 Fake Ferraris Found in 2023

Okay, only three fake Ferrari cars were found; the rest involved hundreds of thousands of counterfeit items. According to The Courier, Ferrari seized 91,000 pairs of eyeglasses, 61,000 wristwatches, 800 scooters, and 30,000 bottles of perfume in 2023—and the three cars.

Ferraris can sell for tens of millions of dollars, and maintaining the authenticity of its cars has led the company to crush any detected fakes into cubes to prevent them from re-entering the market.

Typically, the thieves use a genuine Ferrari chassis and craft a more expensive model’s body. The result is a sophisticated fake.

Car fraud cases are rare but not unheard of. According to CNN, fake merchandise can be as simple as the use of an unlicensed Ferrari prancing horse logo on a product. However, anyone in the market for a Ferrari would be able to spot a fake.

Fake Ferraris are not always presented as the real thing, but the company has sued others for making or presenting them. The company has also seized counterfeit bags, shoes, belts, and even refrigerators.

The company is enlisting the public’s help via an anti-counterfeiting reward project. Ferrari encourages people to report fake items in exchange for an official thank you and prizes. The company has received more than a thousand notifications so far.

Generally, the Ferrari collector community is well-informed, making it difficult for fakes to pass as originals. “Ferrari collectors tend to have a considerable knowledge over the brand as a whole and its cars, especially the most valuable ones,” said the Ferrari spokesperson.

For Ferrari, counterfeit items dilute the brand’s value and pose risks to buyers.