Fake pants scam

UK border officials are trying to get to the bottom of this one; they have seized £1.5m worth of fake Calvin Klein boxers, in the run-up to Christmas. If Santa brings you a pack of Calvin Klein underwear, how do you know if they are really the iconic brand, or a poorly made, baggy copy?

It happens every year. Border Force officers at our ports keep an eye out for huge quantities of fake imports, huge x-ray machines to check that the items inside shipping crates match the accompanying documents, and their haul so far this year includes:

•1,440 Superdry hoodie tops worth approximately £100,000

•16,000 Gillette Mach 3 razor blades worth approximately £143,840

•82,320 Calvin Klein underpants worth approximately £1.5m

•450 Dyson fans and Apple chargers worth approximately £182,500

•1,530 Pandora charms worth approximately £45,900

•379 Barcelona and Borussia Dortmund football shirts worth approximately £16,149

•48 pairs of Nike Vapormax trainers worth approximately £5,760

•2,112 Spiderman, Pokemon and Hello Kitty hand held fans worth approximately £31,680

The Intellectual Property Office, the government body responsible for intellectual property (IP) rights including patents, designs, trade marks and copyright, tries to raise awareness to avoid customers being scammed by fake goods. This year, they are doing this through a spoof'12 Days of Christmas video' on YouTube - the basis of a Christmas lesson?