Sneaker store owner duped into selling hundreds of high-end fakes. Here’s how to spot one.

MILFORD – A sneaker shop in Milford, Massachusetts is now offering refunds to customers after the owner found out they were unknowingly selling fakes.

Milford Police Chief Robert Tusino said the investigation started after they got concerns about the shoes at the Family Sneakers House last year. 

“We sent someone in there to buy some shoes and, sure enough, buyer beware, they weren’t legit, they were counterfeit,” Tusino told WBZ-TV.

1,200 counterfeit sneakers 

Police seized more than 1,200 sneakers that would have been worth $200,000, if they were authentic.

“If it’s too good to be true, it usually is,” Tusino said.

According to police, the owner was ordering products from a Chinese distributor, paying via wire transfer and didn’t know the shoes were counterfeits. The store is new to the sneaker game. It’s been open for just a year. The owner thought they were getting a deal from their Chinese distributor.

“This person running the store didn’t really know,” Tusino told WBZ. “We’re very pleased that the owner was very accommodating and remorseful because they were scammed too, it wasn’t just the consumer.”

How to spot fake sneakers

Luxury sneakers are a big business that can come with big-time scammers. So, how can you tell what’s real and what’s not? We asked a veteran in the shoe game for answers.

Ferguson Herivaux has owned Limited Stock in Boston for years, featuring some of the most coveted footwear. 

“It’s a little challenging and it’s a complex process to begin with,” Herivaux told WBZ. “First thing is the sole. If you’re able to squeeze the sole with two fingers that’s the first sign, you can’t squeeze this shoe no matter how hard you try. Obviously second is the stitching.”

Other things to look for are the colors of the shoes and the tag inside. 

If ever in doubt, Herivaux says ask an expert or use an app to verify authenticity because the bigger the business gets, the more fakes make the rounds. 

“It’s a really, really big problem and quite frankly I understand the allure. It’s quick, cheap, people are willing to pay way less,” said Herivaux. “A lot of the times it’s the price. If a deal is too good to be true, it’s not true”.

In Milford, the owner of Family Sneakers House said the store is open and they have authentic merchandise.