Rica Peralejo admits not liking luxury brand items, reveals carrying a ‘fake LV bag’ in this photo
Rica Peralejo revealed that she is carrying a fake Louis Vuitton bag in a photo she posted on Instagram last Friday.
Listing down the pieces that completed her laidback outfit and where she got them, Rica pointed out her “fake LV bag.”
Rica wrote a disclaimer saying, “hindi ako mahilig sa branded. Binenta ko na actually yung mga branded bags ko kasi sa totoo lang, hindi ko naman magamit.”
According to Rica, the bag was gift “and when I used it, BONGGA IT DID THE JOB.”
Rica joked and said she loves “the tote-ness of it. It’s so… tote-ful? It is like a bayong na bagay sa all at kasya all.”
Rica later updated her post, explaining she was in a remote area and was immediately greeted by a deluge of notifications telling her “I am in the news for telling the truth.”
The mom vlogger advised her followers to “read well” as she clarified what she said because “some news have added a thing or two to what I said here.”
“The only clear things in this post are: 1) I do not like branded stuff (meaning luxury brands cause I like some brands for some things) 2) And that I would rather put money elsewhere like buying adventure gear 3) It was a gift and I liked the function of the bag kaya I used it,” Rica explained.
“Anything else beyond those three points are already their story and not mine,” she added.
“Until you have asked, what you have is drive-by-judgment. So much misinformation, vested interest, and hate these days. Hehe. So read well, friends.” — Jannielyn Ann Bigtas/LA, GMA News
Rica Peralejo admits using a fake branded bag in recent IG post
Feds seize at Twin Cities airport 230 fake designer accessories shipped from Asia
Federal agents intercepted shipments containing 230 knockoff designer handbags, wallets and other items destined for Minneapolis and the Duluth area that could have fetched an estimated $560,000 had the goods reached the retail market, authorities announced.
The seizures Friday at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport were the third and fourth by Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) officers in Minnesota since mid-December involving counterfeit items that authorities say could have sold for more than $1.2 million to unwitting buyers.
“CBP officers play a critical role in the nation’s efforts to keep unsafe counterfeit and pirated goods from harming the American public,” Augustine Moore, area port director in Minneapolis, said in a statement accompanying Monday’s announcement.
In fiscal 2020, CBP nationwide seized 26,503 shipments containing goods in violation of intellectual property rights. The agency estimated that the total retail value of the seized goods, had they been genuine, was nearly $1.3 billion. Watches, jewelry and computer equipment are the more common counterfeit items seized.
The two seizures last week involved shipments from Laos, according to CBP. Federal inspectors determined the handbags, wallets, fanny packs and phone cases were in violation of trademark and copyright codes. The items sported logos of fashion houses including Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Chanel and others.
One shipment with 146 items was destined for a home in Minneapolis, while the second with 84 items was heading to a residence in Superior, Wis., just across from Duluth. If the goods were authentic, the retail value would have been $562,719, the CBP estimated.
The agency explains that it targets counterfeit merchandise for seizure because it is often made of inferior materials, manufactured under uncontrolled and unsanitary conditions, and labeled with false information, “potentially threatening the health and safety of buyers and users.”
On Dec. 16, federal agents intercepted a shipment of knockoff designer handbags and wallets from Laos destined for St. Paul that would have sold for nearly $406,000.
On Jan. 15, Border patrol agents in International Falls, Minn., seized a shipment of 780 counterfeit space heaters that could have commanded more than $260,000 had they made it to market.
Authorities have not disclosed whether there have been any arrests made or charges filed in connection with any of these seizures.
Paul Walsh • 612-673-4482