ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Customs and Border Patrol agents have seized thousands of dollars in counterfeit Super Bowl and championship rings — the rings that professional athletes and their coaches get when they win — at the Frederick Douglass Greater Rochester International Airport.

These rings were part of a shipment that made its way into the country from overseas. CBP officers found them during an inspection at the FedEx hub at the Rochester airport.          

There are fake Bills AFC championship rings, bogus Derek Jeter World Series rings, phony Tom Brady Super Bowl rings, fake Syracuse University national championship rings — and the list goes on and on. There were also mini knock-off championship trophies in the shipment.

Jeff Toth, Program Manager, U.S. Customs and Border Patrol: “In this case, we came across something that was different and unusual, so we looked a little further into it.”

Jennifer Lewke: “Was this headed to the streets of New York City, or was this merchandise you think was going to be sold online and people probably would have paid for it before they got it to see just how fake it was?”

Jeff Toth: “A lot of that is difficult for us to tell; if there is further investigation on an individual or a company, that’s going to be done by Homeland Security investigators. We’ll turn all that info over to them.”

Jennifer Lewke: “Has there been an increase in counterfeit goods coming through Rochester in the recent year or so?

Jeff Toth: “I mean not necessarily — we’ve always, this has always been a problem, it’s an ongoing issue and a battle. … It’s very difficult when you’re purchasing something online because you don’t know exactly what it is you’re getting — and the problem is you don’t have it in front of you, you can’t touch it, hold it, look at it, inspect it and when you’re not able to do that, it makes it very difficult to know what it is you’re getting.”

And anyone planning on one of those rings won’t be getting anything at all. Officers say they confiscated more than $9,000 worth of fakes.