Counterfeit goods at the Evergreen State Fair?

That's what the caller said. So I went to the fair to find out.

Jane and Charles Chang own Rich Coast Imports. They weren't too happy to have me show up at their state fair booth, asking about the bags they sell.

The Changs have been at the fair for a number of years. But they made a big mistake when they sold a purse to Carolyn Butterfield.

"I was suspicious that I had bought a counterfeit, so I called my friend, Herb," she said.

Butterfield bought an imitation Dooney & Bourke bag for just $40. And yes, she did ask whether the bag was the real thing.

"She told me that they were real," she said. "I asked her why she could sell them for such a reduced price and she just said, 'Oh, I'll give you a good deal. I got a good deal so I'll give you a good deal.'

"I don't like the fact that she is profiting on selling counterfeit items," Butterfield said.

I wanted to be sure these bags were bogus, so I bought one of the many Prada on display at the booth. I asked if the bag was the real thing, and the answer I got was, "yep."

The price was $40 -- a warning flag that the bag was most likely a fake. But I needed an expert opinion, so I went to see Ivy Jensen, assistant buyer at Mario's in downtown Seattle.

"It's clearly a fake, yes," she said after examining the bag.

Jensen said there are several tell-tale signs that made him certain the bag I had bought was fake.

"The first warning is the plaque on the front. This one is pinned down and not sewn on. That would be my first clue," she said.

"Also, (on a genuine Prada bag) there is a plaque that says 'Prada made in Italy,'" said Jensen. My bag didn't have that.

"On the inside pocket there is a certificate of authenticity,"s he said. My bag didn't have that either.

Plus, on the real bag, the word "Prada" is engraved on all hardware, even the rivets. You won't find that on the fake.

Armed with this information, I headed back to the fair to confront the Changs.

I asked what they were selling and the Changs answered, "imitation." But when I told them they had, in fact, sold me a bag claiming it was a genuine Prada bag, they only insisted they had "imitation Prada."

Before leaving, I contacted fair management and told them what I had found.

Director Mark Campbell says all vendors are required to follow the law, which prohibits selling counterfeit merchandise.

The law states "every person who shall knowingly sell, display or advertise, or have in his possession with intent to sell, any goods, wares, merchandise, mixture ,preparation or compound having affixed thereto any label, trademark, term, design, device, or form of advertisement lawfully filed for record in the office of the secretary of state by any person, corporation or union under the laws of the United States, which label trademark, term, design, device or form of advertisement shall have been used or affixed thereto without the written authority of such person, corporation, association or union, or having affixed thereto any forged or counterfeit representation, likeness, similitude, copy or imitation thereof, shall be guilty of a misdemeanor."

So even if the Changs were to be honest with their customers and told them the bags were, in fact, imitation, they still would be breaking the law by selling counterfeit items.

"We regret that this happened. The fair is a wonderful environment. We want to represent it correctly and follow all the laws of the state," said Campbell.

The Changs decided to pack up and leave the day I visited them. But fair officials tell me they have reported the case to the state's trade commission.