65-year-old Austrian tourist Ursula Corel has been fined $1,450 for purchasing a $10 fake Louis Vuitton bag off a street vendor in Italy. Officers taking part in a crackdown on counterfeit goods observed the transaction through binoculars.
Corel says she knew the bag wasn´t real and purchased it "because it looked very nice". She says she didn´t know it was illegal. Mayor Francesco Calzavara stood by the crackdown, saying they were trying to reduce demand and vendor numbers.
A local tourism organisation, alarmed by the prospect that the crackdown will drive away tourists, apologised to Corel and offered to pay the fine. The organisation is calling for warning signs and better communication with tourists on the issue.
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