Soul star Mary J. Blige has filed a lawsuit against fraudsters who plan to sell counterfeit merchandise ahead of her concert with Jay-Z in New York.

The star launched her legal bid at Central Islip Court to prevent people from selling fake Heart of the City tour T-shirts outside the Nassau Coliseum on Thursday, reports New York gossip column PageSix.com.

The suit reads: "Defendants will be selling and distributing unauthorised goods at (the) Coliseum bearing the marks of artist Mary J. Blige. "They are sued under fictitious names because their true names are unknown at this time."