Chinese e-commerce site selling Australian police gear

Australian police uniforms and badges are being sold on a major Chinese online shopping platform as authorities warn of a growing wave of impersonation scams.The ABC has identified three online retailers on the Chinese e-commerce platform and one independent Chinese website selling Australian police clothing.Items available from the different retailers include uniforms, caps, badges and insignias from Western Australia, Victoria, South Australia and Queensland police, as well as the uniform of Australian Border Force.Australian police uniforms sold on the Chinese e-commerce platform. (ABC News: Kat Tse)The products in the photos look identical or very close to what the police in those states currently wear.All the sellers on on the major online platform advertised they were selling real police items, not replicas, and were marketing to military collectors. Most items cost between $4 and $50.The ABC purchased and inspected one Victoria Police long-sleeve top and two Queensland Police Service (QPS) T-shirts from two of the retailers for verification purposes.The items appeared indistinguishable from the real thing but the ABC could not independently verify whether they were authentic police clothing or counterfeits.Victoria Police and QPS declined to verify the items.All the items had "Made in China" labels.One Victoria Police officer, who was not authorised to speak publicly, told the ABC the long-sleeved top looked identical to the one they wore on duty.As of publication, listings on the sellers' pages showed more than 70 items such as Australian police uniforms and badges had been sold.Caps from Victoria Police, T-shirts from QPS and Australian Border Force clothing can also be found on a Chinese e-commerce platform selling second-hand goods.One seller on the second-hand site described the items as "export surplus" and said "some may have defects" and that the items were "sold at a discount, no returns or exchanges are accepted".The ABC contacted the parent company of the two platforms for comment, but did not receive a response.Offence to impersonate policeOne of the obtained tops mentions Tuffwear on the label. (ABC News: Nathan O'Brien)China does not have a law banning the sale of foreign police uniforms, and laws in Australia are different in each state — most do not explicitly ban buying the items but they do regulate possession.Impersonating a police officer is an offence in every Australian state and territory, though laws on possessing police clothing vary.New South Wales has one of the strictest penalties: up to seven years' jail for impersonation.Possession of police uniforms or badges is illegal there in most circumstances.The police forces in Queensland, South Australia and Western Australia told the ABC that they were aware of online sellers offering police uniforms or replicas.A Western Australia Police cap on sale on a Chinese online retail shop. (Supplied)Victoria and Queensland confirmed some of their police items were manufactured overseas, but none of the four states would name their suppliers, with two citing security reasons.In 2011, there were reports that Victoria Police shifted part of their police clothing manufacturing lines to China, which triggered criticism over lost local job opportunities.Along with a "Made in China" label, the Victoria Police long-sleeve shirt the ABC obtained is also labelled a product of Australian-owned and operated brand Tuffwear.Tuffwear's website says Victoria Police is a business partner.A Tuffwear spokesperson told the ABC that the T-shirt was a counterfeit but did not reply to requests for further comment.Since the ABC began investigating, many items are no longer available to buy from the retailers' platforms.Scams related to police impersonationA Queensland Police Service T-shirt that was able to be purchased on a Chinese site. (ABC News: Michael Li)Zhou You, a criminologist with UNSW who studies cybercrime and scams, said it was likely the Australian state police uniforms sold by retailers in China could be used by scammers in fake police centres."It's illegal to sell Chinese police uniforms in China, but it didn't make a rule that it's illegal to sell police uniforms from other countries, such as Australia and the United States," he said.Dr Zhou said there had been instances in China of scammers impersonating Chinese policemen by wearing replicas of police uniforms, but the government had since cracked down on the practice."China maintains high pressure over scamming-related crimes within its territory. That's why they might target markets overseas."In February, the ABC reported on a mock Australian Federal Police office featuring logos and signage discovered in a Cambodia scam compound."These items were used to make the centre appear to be a legitimate AFP facility during scam video calls," a National Anti-Scam Centre spokesperson told the ABC.Police impersonation is common in many types of scams including phishing, threat-based scams and "unexpected money scams", the spokesperson said."Scams are often perpetrated through offshore scam centres," they added.The ABC did not find AFP uniforms for sale but several online retailers in China were selling AFP badges that were more obviously fake and were advertised as costume items.In Australia, a man was arrested in October 2025 in Double Bay for allegedly impersonating an AFP officer, an AFP spokesperson told the ABC.He was allegedly using fake law enforcement badges and possessed prohibited firearms.He faces multiple charges including one count of impersonating a commonwealth public official and will face court again in August.In June, WA Police warned the public about scammers spoofing phone numbers "linked to legitimate police stations" to try to obtain personal, financial and cryptocurrency details."The WA Police Force is aware of online scams and listings purporting to sell police clothing," they said in a statement to the ABC.WA Police encouraged anyone with information about the suspected sale, manufacture or misuse of police uniforms to report to Crime Stoppers.This online store, registered in China's Zhejiang Province, sells Australian police uniform items, including South Australian police caps. (ABC News: Nathan O'Brien)Queensland Police suggested people ask to view an officer's identification to verify their credentials or contact local police for verification.South Australia Police said they might engage with online retailers when unauthorised sales were identified and seek to have items removed.An Australian Border Force spokesperson said it took the integrity of its uniform supply seriously."The impersonation or false representation of Commonwealth officials is a serious criminal offence," they said.They added the ABF logo was a protected trademark under commonwealth law and the importation of counterfeit or false trademarked goods was prohibited under customs law.'Correct size and colour'The AFP said it had launched a national cybercrime awareness campaign and provided advice to people on how to protect themselves against police impersonation scams."The AFP will never ask you to disclose bank details such as account information, passwords or bank balances over the phone," said an AFP media release last month.Rob Brown, president of Police Insignia Collectors Association of Australia (PICAA), said manufacturers in China and other Asian countries had perfected the art of reproduction."They can take a photograph of a badge, patch from a website and reproduce it with nearly 100 per cent accuracy, down to correct size and colour," he said."It is very hard to pick the difference between an original and reproduction."