Italy starts closing fake e-commerce websites

Network of more than 13,000 online fake shops selling luxury brands allegedly managed by a group of Chinese cyber-criminals

Criminals offer discounted goods from luxury brands such as Giorgio Armani and Prada that never materialise. File picture

Italian officials have begun seizing what could be one of the world’s largest networks of online fake shops, which have defrauded would-be customers by appearing to offer discounted goods from luxury brands such as Giorgio Armani and Prada that never materialise.

The illicit network of more than 13,000 online fake shops, discovered by the Italian cybersecurity firm Yarix, is allegedly managed by a group of Chinese cyber-criminals, as suggested by infrastructure code as well as the payment system’s gateway, according to people familiar with the matter.