Vegas Robaina Fake Found......

[garbandz]

Somehow a great many fake Cuban cigars manage to find their way to my town,and I seem to be the one people bring them to for authentication.

Last week this one turned up.I was surprised to find a fake VR,as generally it is thought this marca is not likely to be counterfeited.

Have you been given any fakes?

The fake is on the right,the left side band,while out of registry,is real.Took this pic for a gathering where we were discussing ways to spot a fake,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

[Hiroshiro]

lol who would take the time to fake these? How much for a stick?

[garbandz]

Didn't ask the price,showed up at a herf in the community grab bag..........

Although it was a Don Alejandro vitola,at over 300.00 a box,,,,,,,,,,maybe that's the answer......

[Trent0341]

Besides the band is the RG massively off? Or is it pictured next to a smaller cigar?

[Ginseng]

That's atrocious. I've seen good VR counterfeits, but that ain't it.

Wilkey

[Strada]

Wow...I remember seeing some fake VR on Nino's blog. Even some fake QdO EL Now that's a rare fake lol

http://flyingcigar.d...-and-survival/#

[cigcars]

*Are you going to chance smoking the fake VR just to see what might occur? Who knows...you might have a good Dominican on your hands. Just curious.

[garbandz]

No,the first thing that I noticed was the low weight and loose construction......before I even took a good look.It was a low light area I was in,and when I looked closer I found it was bogus.

Generally I will not smoke a fake,I have seen and heard of some nasty things found in them.

Also I do not usually smoke Dominican tobacco except LFD and an Opus from time to time........

[Tino]

I worry about the theory that people wouldn't bother to fake certain brands. If you can buy NCs in quantity for $1 each and put fake Cuban bands on them then you're going to make good money. Buy a load of empty Cuban boxes on eBay or from cigar shops and you've got a genuine box to help the ruse. There's obviously better money to be made faking Cohiba but I wouldn't discount the possibility of people faking Vegas Robaina, Quai d'Orsay et al because there's still money to be made, the bands are easier to fake and there's less risk of being caught if the perception is that these brands won't be faked.

[tmac77]

Thats a real bad fake VR

[GoJohnnyGo]

I worry about the theory that people wouldn't bother to fake certain brands. If you can buy NCs in quantity for $1 each and put fake Cuban bands on them then you're going to make good money. Buy a load of empty Cuban boxes on eBay or from cigar shops and you've got a genuine box to help the ruse. There's obviously better money to be made faking Cohiba but I wouldn't discount the possibility of people faking Vegas Robaina, Quai d'Orsay et al because there's still money to be made, the bands are easier to fake and there's less risk of being caught if the perception is that these brands won't be faked.

Very well said. I'm afraid these less profitable marcas will begin getting faked more and more as the wealth of information on the net makes people more aware of what to look for in their cigars and the counterfeiters are forced to adapt.

[Carpenter69]

Hopefully buying from reputable vendors will protect us from fakes. I only use 2 vendors, 1 occasionally and the other religiously.

[LGC]

I've seen fake JLs, etc. I'm not surprised anymore about what people try to fake, and the lack of quality.

[MC4]

Wonder if there are any fake Culebras? difficult to make and/or copy.

[stargazer14]

Hmmm. This is interesting.

If they are faking VR's now I'm worried about my Quinteros, they seem a little 'one dimensional'.

[CanuckSARTech]

LOL. Funny stuff. Blatently obvious, IMO, but yes, funny to see a VR faked (although it might be a smart move by the counterfeiters as well, considering the vitola/price/rarity-of-those-fakes/etc.)

[SaintLuis]

Gosh, I never expected to see a VR faked. Their color is pretty unique, did it look arlight band notwithstanding? How'd the cap look?

I'm a big fan of the familiars, and admittedly, apart from the price (and taste!) part of the benefit to me was that I knew it was a more obscure marca, and less likely to be counterfeited.

Saint