Apple's team of experts remove counterfeit product listings from social media portals

A spokesperson for Cupertino tech, as part of a report focused on counterfeit iPhone chargers, in a statement to Bloomberg said that the safety of Apple consumers is the company's first priority and that the risks associated with knockoff accessories can be "very serious."

Representational image. (REUTERS)

American multinational technology company Apple has a team of experts that work to remove counterfeit products on sites like Instagram, where some vendors run a multi-million dollar business by selling fake products.

According to Mashable, a spokesperson for Cupertino tech, as part of a report focused on counterfeit iPhone chargers, in a statement to Bloomberg said that the safety of Apple consumers is the company's first priority and that the risks associated with knockoff accessories can be "very serious."

The spokesperson said, "We have a dedicated team of experts constantly working with law enforcement, merchants, social media companies, and e-commerce sites around the world to remove counterfeit products from the market."

They added, "In the last year we have sought the removal of over 1 million listings for counterfeit and fake Apple products from online marketplaces, including Facebook and Instagram."

Mashable reported that this counterfeit accessory business is booming and has become a multimillion-dollar business, according to a soon-to-be-released report from cybersecurity and social media intelligence firm Ghost Data.

Apple has previously also taken action against entities that sold counterfeit goods. Back in 2016, the company filed a lawsuit against a vendor, accusing it of selling knockoff accessories on Amazon and Groupon. In that lawsuit, Apple had said that a huge chunk of "genuine" accessories on Amazon were fake. As per Mashable, at that time Amazon had said that it had a zero-tolerance policy for counterfeit goods.