Belgian “Cybersquad” cracks down on the counterfeit industry

Belgium’s Customs and Federal Public Service (FPS) Finance bureau have launched a major operation in an effort to curb the sale of counterfeit products. Known as the “Cybersquad,” the operation has targeted online sales outlets and has already shutdown 236 domain names suspected of running illegal businesses. The FPS reported that it had blocked 18 ‘.eu’ and two ‘.be’ domains. In addition, another 74 domain names have been forwarded to US authorities by Belgium Customs.

The Belgian action was only one part of a much larger international operation that took place with the cooperation and coordination of Europol, in which 690 domain names across Europe have been shuttered.

The FPS Finance reports that the counterfeit industry takes a toll on the national economy, spurning job losses in the process, and poses a danger by exposing possibly unsafe products to the public.