FIFTEEN suspects have been arrested for allegedly running websites selling fake luxury goods to customers overseas, police said yesterday.

Hundreds of thousands of goods are thought to have been sold, raising over 1 billion yuan (US$150 million) from duped consumers in over 800 cities in 47 countries, police said.

The gang, which established a foreign trade company in Shanghai, allegedly sold the fakes through 35 websites in English and Spanish, hosted on servers overseas.

The forged goods were purchased in Guangdong and Fujian provinces and shipped directly to the buyers.

The suspects, including those sourcing the fakes, customer service agents, the sales and technical teams, were caught in 17 locations in Fujian, Guangdong, Hubei and Shanghai on May 3.

During the raid, police said they discovered fake luxury bags, clothes, shoes and mobile phone cases.

The major suspects in the case all have university degrees and speak foreign languages well.

One even has a master’s degree in business management earned overseas, according to the police.