Investigators in China have found another 22 fake Apple stores in the country after several stores claiming to be legitimate Apple stores were found to be bogus.

The scenario was first exposed by a journalist who visited one such store and was suspicious about the branding and what employees were wearing in the store. China's Administration for Industry and Commerce in Kunming found the unauthorized Apple stores.

The investigators said that the stores have been ordered to stop using Apple's logo. The China unit of the American giant said that these retailers are engaging in unfair competition and are violating its registered trademark.

The authority said that it will set up a complaint hotline and improve monitoring. Several Chinese manufacturers sell Apple and other brands' electronic products in the country but the devices are often illegally smuggled. It is not known if the stores are selling fake products of real but smuggled models.