Hitha Prabhakar’s new book Black Market Billions explains the shocking link between counterfeit handbags and terrorism. The book follows closely the trail of one fake designer purse and one stolen handbag. Their journey starts in America’s fashion capital New York City but takes us to the major terrorist cells of Al-Qaeda and Central America’s drug lords.
Prabhakar, a Bloomberg Television retail reporter, says it’s relatively common for people to own designer fakes, be they handbags, movies, or electronics. However she claims that few of these consumers understand the implications of their purchases.
“What has been kept secret and hidden is the chain of events that flows the money from Main Street to major crime rings around the world,” Prabhakar explained. “This fast-growing industry needs to be exposed.“
Black Market Billions retails for $29.99. A companion iPhone app has also been released to coincide with its launch. The Smartphone program encourages amateur vigilantes to snap photograph of vendors selling counterfeit goods and upload them. The phone’s GPS will then chart the location of the seller to alert others of their illegal activity. The app aims to alert others of stolen or counterfeit goods, and ultimately make it harder for salesmen trading in these illegal activities to do business.
We all know it’s wrong to purchase counterfeit handbags, but I’ll bet few of us understand the far-reaching impact of the act. This book definitely provides some food for thought.
