Organized Retail Crime, Counterfeits & Marketplaces

The sale of stolen and counterfeit goods on third-party marketplaces is a growing problem. It’s harming consumers, retail workers, and the communities across the country. There is an undeniable connection between the growth of organized retail crime (ORC) and the ease with which criminals can sell stolen goods through online marketplaces. The lack of transparency and accountability on marketplaces allows criminals to hide behind fake screen names and bogus business accounts. It harms legitimate local businesses and entrepreneurs, and erodes public trust.

ORC has a direct impact on retail workers who are often put in harm's way. It has also been linked to human trafficking, terrorism, and drug smuggling. ORC costs American retailers over $69 billion per year, causing the loss of thousands of jobs through store closures and reduced hours.

RILA formed the Buy Safe America Coalition (Coalition) to enjoin associations and companies in the fight against criminals using third party marketplaces to sell dangerous, defective, and stolen goods to unsuspecting consumers.  The Coalition has grown to encompass over 50 organizations and is dedicated to stopping ORC and the sale of counterfeits by increasing transparency and empowering law enforcement with more information to prosecute these criminals.  
 
The Coalition’s mission is to raise awareness of organized retail crime on Capitol Hill and within the administration and to enact the Integrity, Notification, Fairness in Online Retail Marketplaces (INFORM) Act, which brings needed transparency and accountability to third-party marketplaces and their sellers. The INFORM Consumers Act was signed into law in 2022. This new law will provide law enforcement with the information needed to track down and prosecute these criminal enterprises and reduce the sale of stolen and counterfeit goods on third-party marketplaces. It also helps stop criminals from brazenly stealing from storefronts, keeping retail employees and communities safe. The INFORM Consumers Act is a win for retailers, retail workers, consumers, and law enforcement.

RILA will continue to fight against organized retail crime. We will continue to work at the federal level to establish a federal ORC task force that brings together federal law enforcement – Homeland Security, the Department of Justice, the FBI, and the United States Postal Service – to help disrupt and prosecute these criminal rings. We will continue to partner with state attorneys general and district attorneys to establish state ORC task forces and educate law enforcement on how to identify and prosecute bad actors. RILA is committed to working with federal and state elected officials, law enforcement, and other organizations to stop criminals from selling stolen and counterfeit goods.