A scam involving uploaded music tracks, stolen credit cards, fraudulent `royalties` and an FBI sting has led to the arrest of nine Britons.
Six men and three women from London, Birmingham, Kent and Wolverhampton are now being questioned by the Metropolitan Police's central e-crime unit (PCeU).
They allegedly uploaded music to iTunes and Amazon.com, spent $750,000 (£459,000) buying it back with 1,500 stolen credit cards - and were then paid $300,000 (£184,000) in `royalties`.
Said DCI Terry Wilson: "This has been a complex investigation to establish what we believe to be an international conspiracy to defraud Apple and Amazon.
"This investigation, with its national and international dimension, exemplifies why we have set up this national response to e-crime. It shows the success that can be achieved through our close working relationship with the FBI.
"We are now making it more risky for criminals who seek to exploit the internet and commit e-crime across national borders."
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