MT. PROSPECT, Ill. – NTN has announced the results of a joint raid that it participated in with the Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS). The raid was conducted June 25 on bearing storage location near Charleston, S.C., after NCIS agents concluded that the warehouse was illegally distributing low-quality, counterfeited bearings directly to consumers. According to NTN, the search resulted in the seizure of hundreds of fake NTN products, as well as counterfeited merchandise of several other major Japan- and U.S.-based manufacturers.
The investigation was coordinated by NCIS and included engineers from major bearing corporations that volunteered to aid in the identification of the counterfeit parts. NTN application engineers supported U.S. Naval agents in detecting suspect product and packaging bearing fake NTN company logos. All of the suspicious products were confiscated and cataloged to assist in future prosecution and investigation of illegal bearing counterfeiting.
NTN says it is committed to leading the fight against counterfeit bearings. The company is an active member of the World Bearing Association, an assembly of bearing manufacturers that seek to ensure the safety of worldwide consumers. For more information about stopping fake bearing sales, visit the World Bearing Association’s website stopfakebearings.com.