A dungaree detective on the Internet

There are lots of great things about shopping online: You don't have to elbow through crowds during sales, you don't have to try things on in stuffy dressing rooms and, for once, you get snail mail that's not bills or junk.

But there are some downsides as well, especially for the brand-obsessed: It's sometimes easy to get swindled into buying knock-off products.

Anyone who's tried to buy designer bags or jeans online knows that no matter how many times a seller assures you the goods are authentic, they're often not.

Lucky for you, there are people out there like Chris Johnson who troll the Internet looking for the people selling fakes and prosecuting them. Read the full story about these fashion sleuths for more details about how he finds the knock-offs online and in stores, and what he does when he finds them.

-- Alana Semuels

Photo: Chris Johnson with a pair of fake True Religion jeans. Credit: Barbara Davidson / Los Angeles Times