Fake websites, which ask for a user's login details, can be made to look like those of reputable companies.

BBC: Google targeted in e-mail scam

Malware can also be downloaded through fake websites when a user clicks on a URL that appears authentic but is not.

CNN: Check your phone: Nations with the most mobile malware

Other unsuspecting users were redirected to fake websites where they were fooled by phishing scams into parting with their identity details.

ECONOMIST: Guard yourself against identity theft

Last year 5, 000 music fans trying to buy tickets for festivals like Reading, Leeds and the V Festival were caught out by fake websites.

BBC: MPs want new ban on sport ticket touts

The group also used the internet to promote stocks and publicise fake websites to induce investors to capitalise on the internet boom, prosecutors said.

BBC: Mafia charged with massive fraud

He was arrested last April and detectives found evidence of four fake websites Aston Midshires Insurance, First Car Direct Insurance, Astuto Insurance and Car Insurance Warehouse.

BBC: Danyal Buckharee admits duping hundreds of drivers

Utilizing bots and inactive users, these services are spamming social media websites with fake accounts and junk messages.

FORBES: Paying For Followers May Cost You A Job

Online retailers see only a fraction of this spending, in part because of concerns over fake goods on Chinese websites.

FORBES: Suited-Up Online: Why China's Fashionista Websites Aim High (And Low)

Last year, the Federal Trade Commission went after websites publishing fake news stories about the supposed health benefits of acai, many of them quoting experts like Oz, that were really fronts for supplement sellers.

FORBES: Dr. Oz Fights To Get His Face Off 'Miracle' Weight-Loss Pill Ads

The company has already found several Russian websites and one English site offering fake Adobe Flash Player downloads.

FORBES: Fake Flash Player Apps Is The New Android Plague