WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 12th August, 2020) A US court ordered internet companies to disable up to 300 websites operated from Vietnam that advertised and accepted payment for novel coronavirus products such as hand sanitizer that was never delivered, the Justice Department said in a press release on Wednesday.
"The United States obtained the restraining order to shutter defendants' websites immediately while an investigation of defendants' scheme continues. In so doing, the government is employing a Federal statute that permits federal courts to issue injunctions to prevent harm to potential victims of fraudulent schemes," the release said.
The Vietnamese authorities have also conducted their own investigation and arrested the defendants Thu Phan Dinh, Tran Khanh and Nguyen Duy Toan, the release said.
The Justice Department said victims in all 50 US states paid for coronavirus-related items such as disinfectant wipes that were sold on up to 300 websites, but never received them.
The complaint alleges that the defendants set up hundreds of email accounts and accounts with a US-based payment processor to effectuate the scheme and keep it hidden from law enforcement.
The defendants are also alleged to have listed fraudulent contact addresses and phone numbers on the websites, causing unaffiliated individuals and businesses in the United States to receive numerous complaint calls from victims who had been defrauded by the scheme.
