Fake designer glasses cost Pinay $4,100

ROME (AFP) — A Filipina ended up paying thousands of dollars for a pair of fake designer eyeglasses she bought on the street in Florence after she was stopped and fined by police, the Italian media reported yesterday.

The 51-year-old woman, who has been living in Italy for several years, paid 11 euros for an imitation pair of "Prada" eyeglasses from an illegal street vendor, but after the police stepped in, it cost her 3,333 euros ($4,100).

Police in Florence were busy last Friday in a stricter enforcement of laws to protect copyrights. Two Belgian youths were handed a 154-euro fine for each counterfeit CD they had purchased.

In only one day, police confiscated 1,159 counterfeit items, including 136 handbags, 200 CDs, 46 watches and 333 pairs of eyeglasses.

Florence launched its crackdown on counterfeit sales last May, setting fines as high as 10,000 euros for buying illegal merchandise.

Annual sales of counterfeit merchandise in Italy are estimated between four to six billion euros, according to financial authorities.