It’s a buyer beware World Wide Web out there as US and European officials seized 132 domain names on Cyber Monday alone for illegally selling counterfeit products online. In a joint effort called “Project Cyber Monday 3,” US Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations seized 101 Web sites, and Europol, with law-enforcement from its member countries seized foreign-based domains such as .eu, .be, .dk, .fr, .ro and .uk. The effort, called Project Transatlantic, yielded 31 domain confiscations.

“Our partnerships enable us to go after criminals who are duping unsuspecting shoppers all over the world,” ICE director John Morton said.

The seized Web sites claim to sell popular name-brand products such as New Era hats, Tiffany jewelry, Oakley sunglasses, NFL jerseys, Disney DVDs, Adobe software, and a variety of clothing, jewelry and luxury goods. Many fool customers into purchasing the inferior and imposter products, although some should be identified as obvious frauds. According to CNN, one Web site sold a DVD entitled “100 Years of Disney,” although the Walt Disney Company wasn’t founded until 1923 and is less than 100 years old.

“The vast majority of these Web sites are operating overseas and (in) foreign countries in which we are not present,” Morton said. “That’s part of the challenge here. We’re dealing with organized criminals who… are trying very hard not to be caught.”

During sting operations, federal law enforcement officers make “undercover purchases” of items. If such items are confirmed counterfeit of illegal by the copyright holders, authorities obtain seizure orders for the domain names.

Once the sites have been seized, future shoppers visiting them see a banner reading, “This domain name has been seized by ICE – Homeland Security Investigations pursuant to a seizure warrant issued by a United States District Court.” The seizure banner has been viewed more than 110 million times.

Including the 101 domain names seized Nov. 26, ICE’s National Intellectual Property Rights Coordination Center has confiscated a total of 1,630 sites since its operation began in June 2010. Of those URLs, 684 have been forfeited to the US government. Once forfeited, individuals have the opportunity to contest the seizure in federal court. If no such claim is filed, the domain name becomes the property of the US government.

According to The Hill, some lawmakers have expressed concern the seizures violate the due process of the Web site owners. In an August letter, Reps. Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.), Jered Polis (D-Colo.) and Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah) argue law enforcement may be stifling legitimate speech, and the Web site owners should have an opportunity to defend themselves before the sites are shut down. Authorities, however, hold the Web sites are confiscated much as police might seize a drug dealer’s car after arresting him.