Massive online stores crackdown in the US: "Operation In Our Sites II”

82 websites that sell counterfeit or pirated goods were seized by the US prosecutors this week in the coordinated law enforcement effort, known as "Operation In Our Sites II” timed with the start of the online holiday shopping season.

"As of today -- what is known as 'Cyber Monday' and billed as the busiest online shopping day of the year -- anyone attempting to access one of these websites using its domain name will no longer be able to make a purchase," U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder told reporters.

The effort targeted different online retailers that sell across the array of shopping categories including sports equipment, shoes, handbags, athletic apparel, sunglasses, and illegal copies of DVDs, music and software, Holder said.

Now the visitors to these websites will be shown a banner saying the domain name has been seized by federal law enforcement officials and warning that dealing in counterfeit goods is a federal crimes that carries penalties for first time offenders of up to 10 years in jail and a $2 million fine.

The list of shut down websites includes 2009jerseys.com, boxset4less.com, cheapscarfshop.com, and massnike.com among many others.

Nearly 80% of fake goods sized by US customs every year come from China.

Bogus brands selling results in hundreds of thousands of lost American jobs and put consumers at risk of injury or even death from shoddy imitations, according to business groups’ complaints.