Fake Siglo VI

[PuroDan]

3 hours ago, zeebra said:

Is the habanos site for verification down? Or I must be doing something wrong 

No need for the Habanos webstite for the sticks. They are fakes for sure. @NSXCIGAR nailed it bro

[Bijan]

30 minutes ago, NSXCIGAR said:

This HSA bar code verification has never sat well with me. As if it's difficult for a counterfeiter to copy one. Then someone runs it through and gets a confirmation and it gives the box way more credibility than it should have. And then you have people questioning the missing codes from gray market vendors on perfectly legit boxes.

Honestly, I think these codes add nothing to the protection of the consumer and likely do more harm than good ultimately. 

It's an iota better than the old serial numbers. It fulfills the same function, in that you can tell from the number if it matches the date on the box code on the bottom of the box (in 2020 you should have 4 leading zeros and a first digit of 4 (or 5) for example). But you can also check if it's for the right type of box. There's been at least one case I've seen where counterfeiters have put real seals from cheap boxes on higher end fakes.

Counterfeiters are super lazy. It's rare to see a genuine looking seal that verifies as the correct box. I don't know if I've seen that come up yet. Add in the micro-printing that counterfeiters are even less likely to copy and the issue is mainly theoretical.

Yes it's very bad theoretical protection, anyone with google or who can walk into an LCDH can get real serials to copy, but in practice if you have a box with micro-printed serials, looks good, and verifies the only fake you're likely to be looking at is the replacement fake, where the original genuine cigars are sold as singles and the genuine empty box is filled with new fake cigars and sold again. Nothing will protect against that, so it's about as good as it gets, for such a low tech security feature.

[PuroDan]

1 hour ago, Chas.Alpha said:

Short answer: No. Let your friend enjoy what he has. More than a few times (in middle and South Florida, I have been gifted “Cuban” cigars from friends and coworkers. Their offering is no less genuine since they know I enjoy a fine cigar. I would never take that away from them! I always give them a stellar review on their gift.

Most of the time I barely get thru the 1st third... ?

The offer is genuine/great but the cigar is fake/crap. Its always better to be forthright/honest. In order for them to learn that Cubans dont taste like dog crap you have to let them know and give them a real one. Thats what i would do They have been deceived and if you dont let them know you are omitting the truth and they continue to buy dog crap and think they have the real deal. Its not fair to them

[Chas.Alpha]

I guess I’ll leave this here; If my friend is spending $200 on his boxes of “Esplendidos”, believing that they’re real, why should I care? He thinks that he’s got an inside track. Good for him. That person will never know the difference, and in the same light, will never be a BOTH/SOTH. Anything other than gratitude would be forcing an education on someone that probably isn’t that interested anyways...

[Fosgate]

So many selfish reasons I would let it be. Educate them and I now have 2 more people in demand for boxes of smokes I have to email race on 24:24 for a box and continue to drive the prices up. But my number one reason I would not tell them is because it was presented as a gift and I would not want to be the catalyst that causes any contention in that gift. I'm reminded of this interview with Charlie Sheen so blinded with the material thing in front of him and vaules the gesture none at all. Guys attending another event and gives him the cufflinks off his shirt with a moments notice. However, Sheen is too blinded with that material thing and goes on a tirade why we should not listen to the man. Nevermind weighing his own sketchy personal history, lets listed to the likes of a wacked out drug addict instead. But this is what I think of whenever someone questions the validity of a gift. Guy probably doesn't know any better so I would say in this instance maybe ignorance is bliss. 

 

[Bijan]

20 minutes ago, Fosgate said:

So many selfish reasons I would let it be. Educate them and I now have 2 more people in demand for boxes of smokes I have to email race on 24:24 for a box and continue to drive the prices up. But my number one reason I would not tell them is because it was presented as a gift and I would not want to be the catalyst that causes any contention in that gift. I'm reminded of this interview with Charlie Sheen so blinded with the material thing in front of him and vaules the gesture none at all. Guys attending another event and gives him the cufflinks off his shirt with a moments notice. However, Sheen is too blinded with that material thing and goes on a tirade why we should not listen to the man. Nevermind weighing his own sketchy personal history, lets listed to the likes of a wacked out drug addict instead. But this is what I think of whenever someone questions the validity of a gift. Guy probably doesn't know any better so I would say in this instance maybe ignorance is bliss. 

Have to disagree on this one. It's one thing to pay full price for something and be duped with fakes, and then have the bitter disappointment of finding out they are fakes, usually as soon as one lights one up. But in almost every one of these cases people are paying $100 for a $900 box of cigars, thinking they're cheating the system. Smoking absolute garbage and just enjoying the price savings, while puffing on dog turds.

The gesture is meaningful when one couldn't have known better, and not when a reasonable person should have known better.

[Fosgate]

2 minutes ago, Bijan said:

Have to disagree on this one. It's one thing to pay full price for something and be duped with fakes, and then have the bitter disappointment of finding out they are fakes, usually as soon as one lights one up. But in almost every one of these cases people are paying $100 for a $900 box of cigars, thinking they're cheating the system. Smoking absolute garbage and just enjoying the price savings, while puffing on dog turds.

The gesture is meaningful when one couldn't have known better, and not when a reasonable person should have known better.

OH! I was under a different impression of the gift. If they're buying super cheap thinking they got a slick in or even dumber that they want to throw it in how your overpaying for the same thing "cough cough". Different story. I may go as far to ask for one to light up and on the first breath blow it out and "What rat F$%ked this stogee." Do they all taste like this? And then show how its not real as if the dummies should have known. And then when they ask where you get yours I would send them to one of the expensive sights for the real stuff. If it seems too good to be true....

[Bijan]

2 minutes ago, Fosgate said:

OH! I was under a different impression of the gift. If they're buying super cheap thinking they got a slick in or even dumber that they want to throw it in how your overpaying for the same thing "cough cough". Different story. I may go as far to ask for one to light up and on the first breath blow it out and "What rat F$%ked this stogee." Do they all taste like this? And then show how its not real as if the dummies should have known. And then when they ask where you get yours I would send them to one of the expensive sights for the real stuff. If it seems too good to be true....

You're right it all depends on context. I think someone in this chain of events should have known better, probably the original purchaser. It may be that the final recipient is clueless and is not a cigar person and has never smoked one before and if they pass the cigars on to yet another person then it would be cruel to blame them for passing off fakes as real.

But to stick to the original story it's a friend of the OP, that is getting free boxes of fake Cubans from another friend every now and again.

If this was the first time and he was super excited, OK maybe be charitable like you suggest. But it's not the first or last time. And now he wants to trade with the OP for real cigars. And how long do you let this craziness go on, not to hurt anyone's feelings.

 

[zeebra]

Thanks all

now I’m debating if I should even say something. I don’t hang out with him often - so maybe I’ll just let it be

[Nevrknow]

Exactly my thoughts when my neighbor brought me a "Cohiba'. Break his heart on a fake or show appreciation for the thought? I appreciated the first one then educated on the second one. He appreciated the education and never brought up the first one.

[nKostyan]

I don't know why they do this but they do. 

My Cuban friend told me why they do it. If the police catch a Cuban man with an undocumented box of cigars, he faces jail because he may have stolen it from a factory. If he has fake warranty seals and stickers in the box, the police don't pay attention to it - the guy just wants to deceive a stupid tourist and earn some money

[joeypots]

19 hours ago, zeebra said:

Agree with all notes

 

now the hard part- do I break the news to him? He also mentioned his friend always brings him a box.  
Also, not sure how good of a fried he is, but that would be an expensive box to bring a friend IMO 
 

On top of that, he wanted to trade for some smaller smokes - which I’ll give him for free anyways regardless 

Don't be too surprised if he gets mad or is insulted if you tell him the cigars are counterfeit. People often do not like being told they have been scammed. A friend of mine ran a yoga retreat in Cuba a few years ago and brought a box back for her brother.  I don't remember all of the details. She bought the cigars from the "monks" at the retreat place......"Those people wouldn't rip people off."was the response when I said you can't buy Cuban Cigars anywhere for that price.  I didn't press the issue.

[Fosgate]

Maybe you just show him a real one next to his fake. 

[Chas.Alpha]

I’m still waiting for the Cohiba marca to come out with their “It’s a Boy” regional release.

Glass top boxes, of course... ?

[NSXCIGAR]

15 hours ago, nKostyan said:

My Cuban friend told me why they do it. If the police catch a Cuban man with an undocumented box of cigars, he faces jail because he may have stolen it from a factory. If he has fake warranty seals and stickers in the box, the police don't pay attention to it - the guy just wants to deceive a stupid tourist and earn some money

 

Makes perfect sense on the island, but I've seen this countless times in Mexico and in the US. Typically on higher quality fakes.

This pic is from a current online listing in the Southern California area:

[Fosgate]

21 hours ago, NSXCIGAR said:

Makes perfect sense on the island, but I've seen this countless times in Mexico and in the US. Typically on higher quality fakes.

This pic is from a current online listing in the Southern California area:

I'd use those for toilet paper if I wasn't afraid of cutting myself on those dry leafs.

[zeebra]

Ok- I got a couple from him as he gifted them to me. Very bad fakes 

Going to have cigars with him in a week or so, I’m going to break the news to him because he said he did “not like these too much”. When these are amazing cigars! 

[Fosgate]

That looks pretty rough. but ahh...