A U.S. Customs and Border Protection officer holds a box. Overlayed text pointing to the box says, "Counterfeit NSF Certification."
U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers assigned to the Los Angeles and Long Beach port complex, in coordination with import specialists assigned to the Machinery Center of Excellence and Expertise, seized 3,940 water filters bearing counterfeit National Sanitation Foundation (NSF) logos printed on the products. Courtesy of U.S. Customs and Border Protection

Authorities recently seized nearly 4,000 counterfeit water filters being imported from China at the Los Angeles and Long Beach port complex, officials announced today.

The items, if genuine, would have had a suggested manufacturer’s retail price of nearly $150,000, according to Jaime Ruiz of U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

“CBP officers discovered the filters while conducting an examination of a mixed ocean freight arriving from China,” Ruiz said in a statement.

The water filters, seized on April 10, had counterfeit “National Sanitation Foundation” logos printed on them, Ruiz said.

“Consumers buying water filters on e-commerce sites should be aware that is extremely difficult to spot those containing fraudulent copied certifications,” said Carlos C. Martel, CBP Director of Field Operations in Los Angeles. “We are advising consumers to protect their families by ensuring they are purchasing these products from legitimate sources only.”

NSF International is an accredited, third-party certification body, which tests and evaluates products to public health and safety standards.