Business Owner Accused of Selling Counterfeit Vicks VapoRub

BEDFORD PARK, IL — A 23-year-old Burbank man has been accused of selling counterfeit Vicks VapoRub, Cook County Sheriff’s Police said. Carlos Barraza was charged with violating the counterfeit trademark act. Barraza allegedly sold the phony Vicks products to stores in the Midwest.

A private investigator working for Procter & Gamble contacted Cook County Sheriff’s Police after receiving a tip about a Bedford Park business owner, later identified as Barraza, possibly selling fake Vicks products. Officers executed a search warrant on Nov. 16 at Dos Hermanos, 6510 S Lavergne Ave. in Bedford Park, where they found more than 2,000 counterfeit Vicks products, according to the charges. Barraza allegedly sold the fake products to stores in Illinois and Wisconsin.

Barraza appeared at the Leighton Criminal Courts Building for a bond hearing on Nov. 18. He was released on an I-bond. Sheriff’s police advise consumers to be cautious when buying branded products from unfamiliar retail outlets. Consumers who suspect a product to be counterfeit should contact the retailer where they made the purchase.

PHOTO: Carlos Barraza, 23 | Cook County Sheriff