Police examine powder and OMO buckets they believe to be part of a counterfeit organisation. It followed the seizure of 3760 nine-kilogram buckets of fake OMO from an industrial estate in Chipping Norton in July, police said. Two men were questioned by police after the latest seizure and were expected to be charged. As well as washing powder, counterfeiting and false use of trademarks extends to items such as toothpaste, toothbrushes, shampoo, moisturising soap, cosmetics, perfume, razors, batteries, as well as car parts and toys, Trademark Investigation Services managing director Ken Taylor said. The products are often cheap, like highly alkalised soaps and perfumes containing acetone, and then packaged to look like trusted brands, he said.

"We're particularly concerned about personal care and hygiene products because it is a big health issue." Mr Taylor, who leads a private company employed by brands to monitor the market for fake goods, said it was widely believed about 85 per cent of all trafficked counterfeit items came from China. Unilever, which owns the OMO brand in Australia, said consumers could tell the counterfeit buckets because they were labelled as "made in China". "The product currently being distributed and sold in a range of pack sizes and marked as 'Made in New Zealand' is genuine," Unilever Australia's general counsel, Mary Weir, said. "Any consumers that may have inadvertently purchased counterfeit product in nine kilo square buckets are advised to return the product to the retailer and request a full refund."

In 2009-10 the Customs and Border Protection Service seized more than 906,500 suspected counterfeit or pirated goods with a total retail value of more than $37 million. A 2011 Australian Crime Commission report warned members of outlaw motorcycle gangs and organised crime groups were involved in importing counterfeit goods into Australia. There have been cases where operators have sent fake branding to Australia separately from the items to evade authorities, Mr Taylor said. "An example of that is there's a lot of counterfeit handbags around in the markets with various brands on them like Versace, Jimmy Choo and Prada. The badges are imported separately to the handbags and then applied later so that Customs can't seize them." A spokeswoman for consumer group Choice, Ingrid Just, said counterfeit cosmetics were a major concern, but shoppers could spot fakes by looking for substandard packing with spelling mistakes and strange smells.

Earlier this year global make-up company Estee Lauder launched legal action against Target, claiming the retailer sold fake M·A·C cosmetics. In September Australian Wool Innovation, which owns the Woolmark trademark, estimated Australian wool growers were losing $64 million a year by counterfeiting and illegal use of the logo.