Alibaba's Jack Ma is leading the company in its campaign against counterfeit products. (Photo : Getty Images)
In the latest move to crack down on counterfeits, China's leading e-commerce company Alibaba has taken down fake cigarette tax stamp ads that appear on its websites and platforms.
According to an article by investopedia.com, several media reports have surfaced last month stating that Philippine Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III asked Alibaba Chairman Jack Ma to take action on the issue that involves counterfeit Philippine cigarette stamps.
"If you go to Alibaba.com, you can see there an item to buy fake Philippine cigarette stamps. I just wrote a letter to Jack Ma to ask him to remove it from his website because that [is] hurting the Philippine interests," Dominguez III previously told reporters.
The letter came as the Philippine government investigates tobacco company Mighty Corporation for allegedly using fake tax stamps. Reports state that officials are set to launch five additional tax evasion cases against the firm.
By the end of March, Alibaba has already notified the Philippines about the taking down of the fake cigarette tax stamp ads.
"We continue to screen our platforms for the items in question, and once found and their illicit status established, such items will continue to be removed in the future," Alibaba Group President Jin Jianhang stated in a letter. "Regardless on which platform the transgression takes place, infringers face penalties, including permanent store closure."
Earlier this month, the e-commerce giant has faced allegations over the sale of a fake fire extinguishing ball.
In the recent period, Alibaba has been undertaking a more intense fight against counterfeit products. In Ma's Weibo account, he publicly expressed his sentiments about the matter, urging officials to create more mechanisms that would help prevent the practice of selling fake goods.
A report from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development noted that China is the world's biggest exporter of fake products, with more than 60 percent of counterfeits coming from the country.
