Counterfeit Optics

Shooting Illustrated has a nice read on this subject............ here

Optics are perhaps the most counterfeited shooting product, with the vast majority of forgeries coming from Asia.
Interestingly, the bulk of these fake scopes are tactical models. “The main counterfeit products are Aimpoints, EOTechs and Leupold Mark 4 scopes,” said Optics Planet’s Steve Ledin. “The phony copies we have seen have been returned by customers looking to scam us. My team of product specialists are trained to spot these copies, and we know when these come in because it is a daily task to review all returns. You can tell by the smell (very often, offshore products have a smoky scent), the way the magnification ring works, the quality of the rubber, the inside of the battery compartments and other indicators.”