Operation Aphrodite: Thousands of fake goods seized from online shops
Law enforcement authorities from nine EU countries, have seized more than 20 000 packages and closed more than 1000 accounts.
Several European countries co-operated in Operation Aphrodite, Europe’s largest ever? police investigation against illegal online marketplaces which sold counterfeit goods and pirated content.
Over 20, 000 packages were seized and the police looked at more than 250 sellers, with 100 suspects being prosecuted.
The crackdown involves Europol and the Italian Guardia dI Finanza (GdF), alongside nine EU countries.
Operation Aphrodite, run with the cooperation of Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Portugal, Spain and the United Kingdom.
The illegal shops advertised their goods via social media, however, Europol would not say which ones were utilised.
Transactions were not usually completed via social media, according to Europol. Instead, messenger apps or by telephone under different names were often used by the buyers and sellers.
Couriers then deliver the parcels and payment is typically made through PayPal or prepaid cards.
Europol said: “The internet continues to be a major facilitator of intellectual property crime as it utilises new and emerging platforms, such as social media, that have made it easier to post and share offerings for counterfeit goods and pirated content to an expanding audience.”
#Socialmedia crime: +10k accounts selling counterfeit goods closed by the largest European law enforcement operation of this kind.
Seized: +20k packages of counterfeit medicine, mobile phones :iphone:, jewellery :gem:, and watches:watch:https://t.co/BZe1nKZjh2@GDFpic.twitter.com/6LgMCgfffe
Carly Hacon is a reporter for Business Advice. She has a BA in journalism from Kingston University, and has previously worked as a features editor for a local newspaper.
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Law enforcement authorities from nine EU countries, have seized more than 20 000 packages and closed more than 1000 accounts.
