Police shut 1,200 scam shopping websites
The Metropolitan Police's Central e-crime unit carries out the biggest single swoop of bogus websites selling fake designer fashion items
UK police this week shut down more than 1,200 scam websites that claimed to be selling designer clothes and jewellery, in what is thought to be the biggest single swoop of its kind in the world.
The 1,219 websites purported to sell items ranging from Ugg boots and Tiffany & Co jewellery to GHD hair straighteners. Police said the fact the sites had ".co.uk" web addresses meant innocent British shoppers were duped into making what appeared to be bargain purchases, but they received either counterfeit products or nothing at all.
The websites are thought to have generated millions of pounds for organised criminal gangs, which could then be used to fund other illicit activities, the Metropolitan Police's Central e-crime unit (PCeU) said. Victims also ran the potential risk of the criminals stealing their identities and credit card and banking details for misuse elsewhere.
The clampdown, dubbed Operation Papworth, was instigated by the PCeU to target the "criminal misuse" of UK domain names with the aim of preventing harm to British consumers and making it safer to trade online. A spokesman said that as a result, "Christmas shoppers stand a better chance of avoiding online fraud this festive season".
Intelligence showed that the vast majority of the sites were registered in China and other countries in Asia, mostly using false or misleading details. That meant it was almost impossible for victims to complain about poor quality counterfeit items or goods never arriving. It also made it difficult for trading standards and other law enforcement agencies to take action.
One online security source said the operation was ground-breaking in its scale and in the way it attempted to protect the UK system. The source said this was thought to be the biggest mass "deregistration" of scam counterfeit goods websites anywhere in the world.
It is understood other designer brands targeted by the criminals include jewellery firm Links of London and clothing labels Vivienne Westwood and Ed Hardy.
Too good to be true
Detective superintendent Charlie McMurdie, head of the PCeU, said: "Fraudsters target the victim's desire to buy designer goods at reduced prices, particularly at this time of year. The risk begins when your desire to purchase blinds your judgment or leads you to illegal websites. If it looks too good to be true, it probably is."
The unit worked in partnership with Nominet, the body responsible for UK domain name registrations. As a result, all the sites have been taken down at the registry level to prevent re-registration.
Lesley Cowley, chief executive of Nominet, said: "We received clear instructions from the PCeU to take down the .co.uk domain names, which have been under investigation for criminal activity. We worked closely with the police and our registrars to quickly carry out the instruction to shut down access to these sites."
Consumer Direct, Trading Standards officers, the Office of Fair Trading and manufacturers also helped to identify the fraudulent websites.
Consumer Direct said that if consumers have bought from one of these sites, and the goods have not arrived but their credit or debit card has been charged, they should contact their card company to see if they can get their money back.
Further advice can be found at Get Safe Online and the Metropolitan Police's fraud alert website.
Rupert Jones
Thursday 3 December 2009 15.09 GMT
guardian.co.uk © Guardian News and Media Limited 2009
The Metropolitan Police's Central e-crime unit carries out the biggest single swoop of bogus websites selling fake designer fashion items
UK police this week shut down more than 1,200 scam websites that claimed to be selling designer clothes and jewellery, in what is thought to be the biggest single swoop of its kind in the world.
The 1,219 websites purported to sell items ranging from Ugg boots and Tiffany & Co jewellery to GHD hair straighteners. Police said the fact the sites had ".co.uk" web addresses meant innocent British shoppers were duped into making what appeared to be bargain purchases, but they received either counterfeit products or nothing at all.
The websites are thought to have generated millions of pounds for organised criminal gangs, which could then be used to fund other illicit activities, the Metropolitan Police's Central e-crime unit (PCeU) said. Victims also ran the potential risk of the criminals stealing their identities and credit card and banking details for misuse elsewhere.
The clampdown, dubbed Operation Papworth, was instigated by the PCeU to target the "criminal misuse" of UK domain names with the aim of preventing harm to British consumers and making it safer to trade online. A spokesman said that as a result, "Christmas shoppers stand a better chance of avoiding online fraud this festive season".
Intelligence showed that the vast majority of the sites were registered in China and other countries in Asia, mostly using false or misleading details. That meant it was almost impossible for victims to complain about poor quality counterfeit items or goods never arriving. It also made it difficult for trading standards and other law enforcement agencies to take action.
One online security source said the operation was ground-breaking in its scale and in the way it attempted to protect the UK system. The source said this was thought to be the biggest mass "deregistration" of scam counterfeit goods websites anywhere in the world.
It is understood other designer brands targeted by the criminals include jewellery firm Links of London and clothing labels Vivienne Westwood and Ed Hardy.
Too good to be true
Detective superintendent Charlie McMurdie, head of the PCeU, said: "Fraudsters target the victim's desire to buy designer goods at reduced prices, particularly at this time of year. The risk begins when your desire to purchase blinds your judgment or leads you to illegal websites. If it looks too good to be true, it probably is."
The unit worked in partnership with Nominet, the body responsible for UK domain name registrations. As a result, all the sites have been taken down at the registry level to prevent re-registration.
Lesley Cowley, chief executive of Nominet, said: "We received clear instructions from the PCeU to take down the .co.uk domain names, which have been under investigation for criminal activity. We worked closely with the police and our registrars to quickly carry out the instruction to shut down access to these sites."
Consumer Direct, Trading Standards officers, the Office of Fair Trading and manufacturers also helped to identify the fraudulent websites.
Consumer Direct said that if consumers have bought from one of these sites, and the goods have not arrived but their credit or debit card has been charged, they should contact their card company to see if they can get their money back.
Further advice can be found at Get Safe Online and the Metropolitan Police's fraud alert website.
Rupert Jones
Thursday 3 December 2009 15.09 GMT
guardian.co.uk © Guardian News and Media Limited 2009
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