Britain clamps down on bogus shopping sites

More than 1,200 bogus websites that defraud shoppers across Britain by claiming to sell cut-price goods have been shut down in a major police operation ahead of the busy Christmas period.

The Metropolitan police's specialised e-crime unit targeted hundreds of websites mainly run by criminal gangs in Asia which operate by hiding behind UK-registered domain names.

The 1,219 websites offered shoppers the chance to purchase a range of popular items, like expensive Tiffany jewellery and trendy Ugg boots, at knock-down prices.

But customers received either nothing at all or counterfeit products.

Victims also ran the potential risk of the criminals stealing their identity for misuse elsewhere, police said.

Detectives said the websites are thought to have generated millions of pounds for the gangs which could then be used to fund other illicit activity.

"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," said head of the Met's unit, Detective Superintendent Charlie McMurdie.

The police worked in partnership with Nominet - the body responsible for UK domain name registrations and one of the world's largest internet registries.

Consumer Direct has listed the websites which have been closed at www.consumerdirect.gov.uk.

Trading Standards, the Office of Fair Trading and manufacturers also helped identify the fraudulent websites.

- Reuters