Fake Cubs Merchandise is Everywhere, And This is How You Avoid It: FBI

In the midst of the excitement surrounding the Cubs’ recent World Series win, the FBI is warning Chicagoans to look out for counterfeit Cubs merchandise.

“Following the great season the Chicago Cubs just had, counterfeiters may see this time as a good opportunity to take advantage of the fans’ excitement and distribute questionable items to the public,” FBI Chicago Special Agent Brian Brusokas said in a release.

Brusokas said consumer schemes can involve any type of merchandise, citing autographs and game-used items like jerseys, bats, balls and baseball caps as examples.

“We can also see a flood of unlicensed t-shirts and other items commemorating this special year,” he said.

Brusokas suggests buyers stay vigilant of fakes in the case of any memorabilia they’re thinking of buying — in the case of an autographed baseball, he said, make sure you compare the signature on that ball to known signatures of the player. If the signature has been authenticated by the seller, look into the qualifications of that authenticator.

Counterfeit items can look almost exactly like genuine ones, with details as small as the stitching patterns on a jersey differing from an original, Brusokas said. Photos can help to distinguish these small differences.

All in all, he recommends buyers keep two things in mind: that they know who they’re buying from and what their refund policy is before purchasing, and that “if an item seems too good to be true, it probably is.”

The Major League Baseball website provides a referencing system in which a user can input the collectible item they're looking to buy and the MLB will provide a photo of what a genuine copy of that item looks like. The organization also has an informational video about counterfeit merchandise crimes.

Special Agent Brusokas is a member of the FBI’s Art Crimes team, which investigates fraud in collectibles. The FBI works together with all four major sports leagues to keep counterfeit merchandise out of the buyer’s market.

For more tips and tricks about how to stay away from fake Cubs items, visit the FBI and MLB websites.