Police close scam shopping websites

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.