EP Websites Among 150 Shut Down For Selling Counterfeit Merchandise

To see a list of the seized websites, click here.

As consumers kick off the unofficial beginning of the online holiday shopping season known as Cyber Monday, U.S. authorities announced the seizure of 150 website domain names that were illegally selling and distributing counterfeit merchandise.

Of the 150 seize websites, four are from El Paso, two are from San Antonio, and eight are from Houston. Officials could not say which websites a specificallt from El Paso.

Operation In Our Sites, was spearheaded by the National Intellectual Property Rights Coordination Center, with the help of Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations, the Department of Justice and the FBI Washington Field Office

“For most, the holidays represent a season of goodwill and giving, but for these criminals, it’s the season to lure in unsuspecting holiday shoppers,” ICE Director John Morton said. “More and more Americans are doing their holiday shopping online, and they may not realize that purchasing counterfeit goods results in American jobs lost, American business profits stolen and American consumers receiving substandard products. And the ramifications can be even greater because the illicit profits made from these types of illegal ventures often fuel other kinds of organized crime.”

Attorney General Eric Holder said the operation aggressively targets those who are selling counterfeit goods.

“Intellectual property crimes harm businesses and consumers, alike, threatening economic opportunity and financial stability,” Holder said.

It is the second year the operation has coincided with Cyber Monday. The 150 domain name seizures represent a more than 80 percent increase over the 82 websites that were seized during last year’s Cyber Monday-related operation.

The 150 websites have all been shut down and are in the custody of the federal government. Visitors to these websites will now find a seizure banner that notifies them that the domain name has been seized by federal authorities and educates them that willful copyright infringement is a federal crime.

During this operation, federal law enforcement agents made undercover purchases, buying a host of products representing a variety of trademarks from online retailers who were suspected of selling counterfeit products, including: professional sports jerseys, golf equipment, DVD sets, computer software, footwear, handbags and sunglasses. In most cases, the counterfeit goods were shipped directly into the United States from suppliers in other countries. After the trademark holders confirmed that these purchased products were counterfeit or otherwise illegal, special agents obtained federal seizure orders from federal magistrate judges.

Since the operation’s June 2010 launch, the IPR Center has seized a total of 350 domain names, and the seizure banner has received over 77 million individual views.

Of the 350 domain names seized, 116 have now been forfeited to the U.S. government. The federal forfeiture process affords individuals who have an interest in the seized domain names a period of time after the “Notice of Seizure” to file a petition with a federal court and additional time after the “Notice of Forfeiture” to contest the forfeiture. If no petitions or claims are filed, the domain names become property of the U.S. government.

So how can shoppers protect themselves from counterfeiters and fraudulent vendors? The Better Business Bureau offers the following tips:

1. Protect your computer ? A computer should always have the most recent updates installed for spam filters, anti-virus and anti-spyware software and a secure firewall.

2. Shop on trustworthy websites ? Shoppers should start at www.bbb.org to check on the seller?s reputation and record for customer satisfaction. It?s a good idea to look for the BBB logo and other widely-recognized seals on retailer websites, but make sure they are real (some rogue sites plagiarize seals to look legitimate).

3. Protect your personal information ? BBB recommends taking the time to read the site?s privacy policy and understand what personal information is being requested and how it will be used. If there isn?t one posted, take that as a red flag that personal information may be sold to others without permission.

4. Beware of deals that sound too good to be true ? Offers on websites and in unsolicited e-mails can often sound too good to be true, especially extremely low prices on hard-to-get items. Consumers should always go with their instincts and not be afraid to pass up a ?deal? that might cost them dearly in the end.

5. Beware of phishing ? Legitimate businesses do not send e-mails claiming problems with an order or an account to lure the ?buyer? into revealing financial information. If a consumer receives such an e-mail, BBB recommends picking up the phone and calling the contact number on the website where the purchase was made to confirm that there really is a problem with the transaction.

6. Confirm your online purchase is secure ? Shoppers should always look in the address box for the ?s? in https:// and in the lower-right corner for the ?lock? symbol before paying. If there are any doubts about a site, BBB recommends right-clicking anywhere on the page and select ?Properties.? This will let you see the real URL (website address) and the dialog box will reveal if the site is not encrypted.

7. Pay with a credit card ? It?s best to use a credit card, because under federal law, you can dispute the charges if you don?t receive the item. Your also have dispute rights if there are unauthorized charges on your credit card, and many card issuers have ?zero liability? policies under which the card holder pays nothing if someone steals the credit card number and uses it. If you are going to shop on classifieds web sites like Craigslist, never wire money and only buy locally where you can see the item before you hand over your money.

8. Keep documentation of your order – After completing the online order process, there may be a final confirmation page or the shopper might receive confirmation by e-mail ? BBB recommends saving a copy of the web page and any e-mails for future reference and as a record of the purchase.

9. Check your credit card statements often ? Don?t wait for paper statements; BBB recommends consumers check their credit card statements for suspicious activity by either calling credit card companies or by looking at statements online regularly.

10. Know your rights ? Federal law requires that orders made by mail, phone or online be shipped by the date promised or, if no delivery time was stated, within 30 days. If the goods aren?t shipped on time, the shopper can cancel and demand a refund. There is no general three-day cancellation right, but consumers do have the right to reject merchandise if it?s defective or was misrepresented. Otherwise, it?s the company?s policies that determine if the shopper can cancel the purchase and receive a refund or credit.