Six arrested after Microsoft tips off cops over fake goods sale

£100,000 worth of kit suspected to be fake was seized after the group was arrested in Humberside

Six people have been arrested on suspicion of selling fake Microsoft kit online after the software giant tipped off police about its suspicions.

City of London (CoL) police arrested a 40-year-old woman and two men in their twenties at their Barton-upon-Humber home where a number of items suspected to be counterfeit were seized with the help of the local police force.

Another two men, one 70 and one 38, were also arrested with a 66-year-old woman a few hours later at another address where further goods were seized.

Overall, the seized kit is estimated to be worth about £100,000 and is made up of Product Keys, Windows re-installation discs and Key Cards which police think was sold through a number of accounts on online sales sites.

Most of the suspects were taken to a local police station for questioning before being bailed. The 66-year-old woman was released from bail and no further action will be taken, CoL police said.

CoL Detective Inspector Rob Stirling said the operation is part of an ongoing national investigation by the Police Intellectual Property Crime Unit, which focuses on targeting and disrupting criminals that profit from the sale of dodgy kit online.