Otterbox Real Vs Fake

[Carmen Kalua]

OtterBox has earned a worldwide reputation for high quality, and our cases are some of the most popular in the industry. So, it's no surprise that crooks and scammers try to pass off fake, counterfeit and "refurbished" products as the real deal. Unfortunately, these phonies fail to protect your device, and leave it exposed to further damage.

Genuine OtterBox products are only available through reputable, authorized retailers. Cases purchased from sites like eBay or craigslist, or from unauthorized storefronts, flea markets or swap meets are always questionable.

OtterBox products are always complete with packaging outside and written materials inside. If the packaging is damaged, faded, sloppy, incomplete, or contains misspellings, the product it contains is likely a fake.

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OtterBox is the #1 seller of cases for smartphones. But, along with success comes imitation and Otterbox is no exception. The Otterbox Defender is a highly counterfeited item available through internet sites.

OtterBox manufactures rugged cases for iPhones and other smartphones to help you protect your phone investment. Cheap counterfeit cases do not provide that protection for your phone.

Never make internet purchases from unverified vendors using stock (manufacturers) catalog photos. If you want to risk an internet purchase, always insist the seller provide pictures of the actual item and packaging. Items labeled as un-packaged "New" items, and claims that items were purchased in bulk without packaging are good indications the item is counterfeit.

OtterBox innovations have been awarded many patents and trademarks by the United States Patent and Trademark Office, and other countries. Otterbox has an aggressive brand protection policy but still has a huge problem with counterfeiters.

"It's important that consumers understand the difference between authentic and counterfeit product and unfortunately some do not," said Rachel Lamkin, Assoc. General Gounsel for Otterbox. "Counterfeit OtterBox cases lead some consumers to believe they just made a bargain purchase, but a low price tag means poor quality and a bad reflection of our brand."

When in doubt about any OtterBox product, contact OtterBox or visit the OtterBox website for information on OtterBox products.

Buy from authorized Otterbox retailers.

Verify if your case is authentic by first checking out what's available on Otterbox.com. If the case you come across is not on the site, is a different color or something else seems out of order, there's a good chance it's counterfeit.

If you come across a website or store selling counterfeit products and you are skeptical about them, let us know.

Can you tell if this is a real or counterfeit Otterbox Defender box?

When you buy products from unknown internet vendors, you risk getting counterfeit products that are visually very similar to the authentic item.

Could you visually identify the counterfeit Otterbox Defender case shown here?

Counterfeit products are specifically made to deceive you and are often listed on eBay as "Genuine" or "100% Authentic" and sold to unsuspecting buyers.

Hundreds of sellers offer counterfeit Otterbox phone cases on China websites often at a fraction of the cost of the authentic item.

Here, the cases are offered for just $4.30 ea. Look closely at the image which shows Otterbox branded products.

Look closely at the advertised cases shown. The "Otter" trademarked branding is visible.

Counterfeiters will often display authentic items or photos, but deliver a counterfeit product that is resold to unsuspecting buyers on eBay.

Check the Ootterbox website for authentic colors and styles. Counterfeiters often produce color combinations not in the Otterboxe product line.

These counterfeit Otterbox cases are sold at just $2.30 -- an immediate indication of a counterfeit.

Although it is impossible to tell in this photo (My fault), the fit of the case was different. Both cases were snug, but the faux case was a thicker plastic that was harder to put together/take apart and the phone did not sit right in the case as far as camera placement and where the speaker fell. From first glance, the inside of both cases are identical, except one was made in China, the other here in the US. Another thing to look for is cloudy appearance when putting the case on your phone. Your screen should be crystal clear when it is on, it should not seem dimmed. I had to turn my brightness way up while I had the faux case because it made it looked dim and cloudy.

The Pictures above show just how hard to tell the difference it can be. They look almost identical. Some details are more obvious than others. The largest difference in looks between the fake and the real Otterbox Defender is the fake does not lay flat, and the fake does not have any space between the case and the button, where there is room for the button to move on the real case. At face value they look very much alike.

Again, the fake and real Otterbox box look scarily similar in pictures and in person. The scan codes are a little different (if you have real and fake next to the other, the difference is subtle, but exists) and the color green used for the band is different. (I will show further below) The writing used look almost exact minus the fake looks darker in pictures than the real does. The insert put into the fake and real Otterbox packaging is also very similar making it difficult to tell the difference between real and faux. I will show further in a moment.

If you look closely, you will notice a size difference between the fake and real box. The fake Otterbox packaging is actually a bit taller. The color difference for the bands is also more obvious now. The fake will be a darker, more olive colored green while the real is more of a medium kelly green. It is a little more obvious that the faux box has a darker scan code than the real box does and that helps show differences in the code itself.

Also using the above pictures, you may see some subtle differences in the inserts that come in the box. The picture looks extremely similar, but it would be a safe assumption that even if printer ink was lower/higher the images would look alike. I highly doubt that someone sits there penciling in the color on the map. The fake insert will have darker ink and be less filled in while the real insert will be more filled in but have a lighter ink. If you have already gotten an Otterbox Defender, the insert should be folded in half first then quartered. There will be an Otterbox logo on the front and back if folded properly. The faux insert looks exactly like the real insert (minus the map ink I already mentioned) except that it will not be folded properly. When you first attempt to unfold it, you will find it opens in half into a quarter instead of out into two quarters. When you go to fold the fake it will fold into sides before it folds in half where the true Otterbox insert will fold into half before it quarters.

FORT COLLINS, Colo., May 20, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- OtterBox, the No. 1-most trusted case brand for smartphones in the U.S. and Canada, continues its fight against intellectual property theft.1 In the last six months, with the assistance of law enforcement and government agencies, OtterBox has raided 162 retail stores worldwide and seized approximately 30,000 counterfeit cases.

"Counterfeit products are made with inferior materials and don't offer the same level of OtterBox engineering, protection and durability our customers know and trust," said OtterBox CEO Brian Thomas. "We vigorously protect our brand to help ensure that our customers only receive the premium quality they expect from an OtterBox."

Each time a new product launches, a registration to protect that trademark is filed in nearly every country that receives imported products. OtterBox currently has over 287 registered trademarks in 49 countries and the European Union, as well as dozens of pending registrations throughout the world.

The pursuit of counterfeit OtterBox products begins immediately after receiving a tip about potential counterfeit products, and an investigation is launched. Once the case is confirmed, legal action is taken which can result in an arrest, fines or jail time. To date, OtterBox has removed over 39,000 individual listings offering counterfeit OtterBox products online, worth an estimated $1.3 million at the suggested retail value.

For more information about OtterBox, visit otterbox.com. To report potential counterfeit products or to learn key differences between genuine and fake OtterBox products, visit "Report Counterfeits" on otterbox.com.

Founded in 1998 with a line of dry boxes, OtterBox has evolved into the No. 1-selling case for smartphones in the U.S. and a global leader in mobile device protection.2 Its diverse lineup of protective solutions for handheld technology protect, connect and enable a mobile world. OtterBox has been a six-time honoree on the Inc. 5000 list of fastest growing private companies in the U.S. and was named one of "America's Most Promising Companies" by Forbes Magazine. The company is headquartered in Fort Collins, Colo., with offices in San Diego; Boston; Cork, Ireland; and Hong Kong.

2014 Otter Products, LLC. All rights reserved. OtterBox and all OtterBox logos, trademarks and symbols are the property of Otter Products, LLC. All other logos, trademarks and symbols are the property of their respective owners.

I have always thought the Colorado state flag was one of the coolest looking of all of the state flags. But that doesn't mean that it couldn't be a bit more cool. The Fort Collins based cell phone case company, OtterBox obviously thinks so too.

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