If you plan on purchasing a The North Face jacket from anyone other than an authorized dealer, you should know how to keep yourself from being scammed. Many brands are being counterfeited and sold at seemingly good prices. North Face is no exception. Sellers gain quite a bit of profit by illegally leading consumers to think that a name-brand product is genuine. You'll need to know the telltale signs of a fake The North Face jacket to tell the difference.

Count the tags if the jacket is new and they are still intact. Fake The North Face jackets have one tag or multiple tags that don't match each other. Real jackets have two or more tags.

Look at the tags. A genuine The North Face product has a tag that reads "The North Face Denali Jacket." Fake tags may read "Five Boroughs Jacket" or not include the type of garment it is attached to.

Check the stitching on the seams. The North Face jackets do not have any hanging threads. Fakes may have these defects because of thread skipping or a stitch that was stopped and restarted in the middle of a seam or hem.

Feel the fleece on the jacket. The North Face jackets have a soft fleece, while fakes may have a cheaper, smooth fleece. The smoother fleece is made from a less expensive blend of materials.

Question and observe the seller. If the seller is marketing the jackets without a statement of 100 percent genuineness, be skeptical. If the seller is selling other "name brand" goods that seem questionable in quality, his The North Face products are probably counterfeit as well.