Counterfeit goods--they're not just designer knockoffs anymore. Despite huge seizures, many fakes are still fooling their way into the market, and experts say the latest crop are more real looking than ever!

The latest trend in the craze is workout equipment. At first glance, these products look like a great way to tone abs, build muscle, and even build your home gym. But Therese Randazzo with U.S. Customs and Border Protection says take a closer look.

"We're increasingly seeing various types of consumer products counterfeited," she warns.

Everything from basic fitness DVD's and popular infomercial products, to the Malibu Pilates Chair and the Bowflex home gym and its accessories. The government has made nearly two dozen seizures of these bogus goods since April. Despite increased surveillance, customs says an unknown number of fakes are still ending up on the market.

"A number of them are being sold over the Internet, on sites like Craigslist and eBay, and then a number of them are also showing up in brick and mortar stores," Randazzo explains.

Fitness fanatic Laurie Stopyra purchased her home gym equipment on Craigslist. "It was easier for me to buy it offline, and basically the cost, is why I bought this treadmill off someone else. It's cheaper," she says matter-of-factly.

Laurie's treadmill was the real deal. But next time she shops, she admits she'll do more research. That's because bogus goods won't just hurt your wallet--with fitness equipment, the quality may be inferior. Dr. Barbara Bushman is a fellow of the American College of Sports Medicine and says that can result in possible muscle pulls, and neck, spinal cord, or even facial injury.

"Any time that we're looking at resistance training equipment that includes pulleys and levers or bands, we want to make sure those are secure," Bushman explains.

Just as scary? Loose weight plates. Also, you want to make sure that there's nothing that's unsteady about the base of the equipment, whether it's the equipment itself, or a bench that we may be positioning our body on.

Most of the products are coming from China. U.S. Customs is working hard to identify suspects and shipments. Randazzo warns, "where we find counterfeit products we are seizing them and getting them out of the marketplace."

What can you do? Familiarize yourself with what the real deal looks like: The logo, the color, the wording on the label, and even the packaging. "If the manufacturer's web site says 'we only sell these via these outlets,' and you're getting it from a different outlet, then you should be questioning why that product is for sale there and where it came from," Randazzo adds.

Laurie says the brand and its trademarks are two things she'll be paying close attention to along with where she shops.

"Really I think I would prefer to buy it off a retailer now than off of someone else," Laurie says.

The government is also working with the companies whose products are being copied in order to curb the fake frenzy.