RALEIGH — When WRAL TV5 broke a story Thursday about an operation that was selling fake designer clothes and jewelry, callers flooded the telephone lines. Most wanted to know how they could spot the fakes.

The clothing in question was from the popular Tommy Hilfiger collections. Those who know say there are things to look for if you want to buy the real thing.

Tommy Hilfiger clothing is so trendy right now that some people will do almost anything to get some. Police say a man in Selma, N.C. was making a living off the high demand selling fake designer clothes including Hilfiger items.

The differences between the fakes and the real thing might not be noticeable at first, but if you know what to look for, you can usually spot them.

In the photo on the right above, for instance, the real shirt is on the right, with reinforcements and stitching through all layers. In the photo on the left, the fake shirt on the left has a Tommy Hilfiger tag sewn in where another tag was removed. The real Hilfiger shirt on the right has no signs of having been tampered with, and has the trademark triangle of fabric under the label. Most Hilfiger products have that triangle of cloth.

The North Carolina Secretary of State's office says even in big stores, an occasional counterfeit can slip through.

Police say they expect to make more arrests in connection with counterfeit merchandise operations.