Chinese authorities have closed 89 websites for fraudulent activities in the name of government organs or charity groups, according to a statement released on June 19 by the State Internet Information Office.

Many of the websites, tackled in a spate of closures beginning in March, claimed to serve anti-corruption and law enforcement agencies. Their operators would fabricate negative news stories and threaten to post them online if the organizations or individuals targeted didn't pay hush money, said the statement.

In other cases, counterfeit media licenses and journalist certificates were on sale for thousands of yuan each in the name of administrative organs.