Fake Rolexes May Fund Terrorism

The bottom line is that buying counterfeit goods is not a fun, harmlessactivity. My advice is that if you only have a few bucks to spend on a watch,there are plenty of excellent affordable options out there. If you really wantsomething Swiss, why buy a cheap fake Rolex when you can buy a nice authentic Swatch?For the cost of a high-end automatic fake Rolex, you could probably come prettyclose to buying an authentic Tissot. Check eBay for good deals (though be careful-- there are plenty of scammers working online auctions, as well), or check themany watch forums out there. Or if you really have to have a Rolex on yourwrist, there's always the option of doing it the old-fashioned way, and actuallysaving up for it.Casio recently had theirbrush with terrorism -- now it's Rolex's turn. Accordingto thisReuters article, items like fake Rolexes and counterfeit designer handbags(in other words, things you buy on the street rather than in stores) may fund terrorism.Apparently there is evidence that counterfeiters in New York have sent money toHamas and Hezbollah, groups considered by the US government to be terrorist organizations.So far, there have not been any direct links to al-Qaeda, but don't let that soothyour conscience. That money is very difficult to track, so there's no telling whereit actually ends up.The article outlines several reasons why buying items like fake Rolexes is a reallybad idea: You don't know where the money is going. Whether buying a fake Rolex is fundingterrorism or not, the money is clearly going to someone who is morallydepraved.You don't know who makes these goods. Fake Rolexes are probably not made bychildren, but fake handbags very well could be produced by children in othercountries forced to work against their will.Counterfeiting takes tax revenue away from the state. If you're buying online,this is less of an issue, but if you're buying on the streets of New York,this could have a very real impact. Those tax dollars go toward creatingand maintaining government jobs. In other words, buying a fake Rolex doesn't justtake money away from Rolex (if fact, people who buy fake goods probably wouldn'tbuy the real thing, anyway), but could potentially jeopardize a state employee'slivelihood.