Scammers Target Brands Like Your with Fake Websites and Scams

Want to do something about it? Get a free Fake Shop Audit right here.

Targetted ads offer incredible deals in the palm of your hand, mimicking your IP, along with recognisable brands from all over the world. Slick, professional websites completes the illusion, tricking customers and colleages alike. You have just encountered a new wave of AI-powered fake websites, fraudulent shops that steal money and data. As Lisa Deegan and Richard Stiennon discuss in the podcast above, these scams targets everyone, creating a brand impersonation crisis that damages trust and revenue.

For consumers, these fake websites pose a direct threat. Criminals use AI to generate flawless product images and compelling copy, making these fraudulent stores look authentic. They funnel stolen goods or nothing at all to shoppers, who then blame the legitimate brand for the bad experience.

For brands, these scams cause profound damage. Fake ads driving traffic to fake websites erode your hard-earned brand equity and alienate your loyal customers. This deception floods your customer service team with complaints and spikes chargeback rates, directly harming your revenue and tarnishing your reputation.

This new landscape of AI-driven fraud demands proactive defense. You must hunt these threats before they can harm your customers and your profits.

Our team scans the digital landscape for fraudulent sites and fake websites using your brand’s name, and delivers the threat reports and mitigation actions you need to fight back. Protect your revenue and your reputation today with EBRAND.

The post Unmasking Fake Websites and AI Ads: An EBRAND Podcast appeared first on EBRAND.

Sophisticated AI tools bombard consumers with convincing deceptions, from fake social media ads to lookalike ecommerce shops. For Chief Information Security Officers and Heads of Brand Protection, these automated infringements launch a terrifying new frontier of digital risk, directly attacking brand identity, eroding customer trust, and stealing revenue.

This escalating threat demands a closer look at AI-driven infringements. To help your organization navigate this new reality and combat the surge of sophisticated scams, we recently gathered our experts to dissect the trend. Our podcast with EM360Tech delivers vital takeaways around the kinds of modern defenses you need to fight back. 

AI Fake Shops Accelerate Brand Infringements 

Malicious actors now use AI to generate hundreds of sophisticated fake shops, a hydra-headed problem for brand protection teams. These fraudulent storefronts feature AI-written product descriptions and stolen images, making them nearly indistinguishable from a brand’s legitimate e-commerce presence. Criminals promote these infringements through a barrage of fake ads, which spoof official brand accounts and appear directly in the social media feeds of targeted customers. One click on a mobile phone initiates the scam, harvesting payment details and personal data with devastating efficiency. 

This automated approach allows infringements to scale at a rate that overwhelms manual monitoring processes. Where teams once dealt with a handful of copycat sites, they now face waves of AI-generated storefronts that launch simultaneously. The moment your team shuts down one fraudulent operation, two more can instantly appear, creating a relentless and exhausting battle for your brand’s digital integrity. 

Multichannel Infringements Attack Your Customers Everywhere 

These modern infringements do not confine themselves to a single platform. Criminals execute multichannel attacks that target customers across the entire digital ecosystem. They register countless deceptive domains that closely mimic your official brand URLs, hoping to catch mistyped searches or confused shoppers. On social media, they create polished but entirely fake profiles to run malicious ad campaigns and interact directly with your customer base, further legitimizing their scam. 

The assault extends into official app stores, where bad actors upload fraudulent applications bearing your logo and brand name. These apps can steal login credentials, install malware, or process fake orders. This omnipresent strategy means that infringements can reach a customer whether they are browsing the web, scrolling social media, or searching for new software, creating a seamless and inescapable illusion of your brand’s presence. 

Sophisticated Infringements Actively Evade Detection 

Today’s infringements employ advanced evasion techniques to hide from brand protection teams and extend their fraudulent lifespan. Criminals use cloaked domains that show different content to different visitors; a brand protection agent or a search engine crawler might see a harmless error page, while a targeted customer sees a fully operational fake shop. This cloaking technique effectively makes the infringements invisible to many automated scanning tools. 

Furthermore, attackers deploy geofencing to make their infringements only visible in specific countries or cities, often outside your core monitoring regions. They also use device-specific targeting, serving their fake ads and storefronts only to users on mobile phones, which are often the primary device for casual shopping. These deliberate evasion tactics ensure that infringements fly under the radar, operating in the digital shadows for weeks or months, causing maximum damage to your brand and your customers. 

Rampant Infringements Target High-Value Industries 

No sector is immune, but AI-powered infringements disproportionately attack industries with high-value products and sensitive customer data. The fashion and luxury goods sector faces constant assault from fake shops selling counterfeit handbags, watches, and apparel. The automotive industry battles infringements offering fake parts, unauthorized accessories, and fraudulent vehicle sales that target a high-intent, high-spending audience. 

Criminals also heavily target the pharmaceutical and healthcare space, where fake online pharmacies sell everything from unapproved medications to counterfeit wellness products, posing a direct threat to consumer health. Perhaps most alarmingly, infringements now aggressively spoof service providers like investment firms and banks. These scams create fake portals to steal financial login information and personal data, leading to devastating direct financial losses for victims and catastrophic reputational damage for the institutions they impersonate. 

Fighting Scams and Impersonations: A Tech-Enabled Defense 

Organizations must combat these automated infringements with an equally sophisticated, technology-powered defense strategy. A robust Digital Risk Protection (DRP) service provides the foundation, offering continuous, AI-powered monitoring across the entire digital surface, including the clear, deep, and dark web. This proactive surveillance identifies new infringements as soon as they appear, often before they gain significant traffic. 

Mention OBP TOO

Advanced detection platforms analyze millions of data points. This complex analysis allows us to spot suspicious patterns, fake domains, and spoofed social profiles with high accuracy. Once identified, a streamlined and legally-backed takedown process is critical. Expert teams can execute rapid removals from domain registrars, social media platforms, and app stores, systematically dismantling the criminal infrastructure and reducing the average lifespan of each infringement. 

Proactive Measures Help Thwart Infringements 

While technology forms your main defensive wall against malcious cyberattacks, human vigilance plays a fundamental role against infringements too. Brands should work with expert partners and with their customers, highlighting basic tips alongside comprehensive solutions. Even something as simple as checking URLs for subtle misspellings could save hundreds of Euros, and countless hours of hard work.

In general, organizations must adopt the “think before you click” mindset. A single employee clicking a malicious link in a spoofed brand enforcement email could compromise your entire corporate network. Combining continuous technological monitoring with informed and cautious behavior creates a powerful, multi-layered defense. Future-proof defenses like these make it significantly harder for infringements to succeed. 

What’s Next: Reinforcing Your Strategy

AI-powered infringements represent a clear and present danger to your organization. However, a proactive and sophisticated defense can protect your brand’s integrity and your customers’ trust. This new era of automated scams demands that we move beyond reactive measures and adopt the advanced tools and strategies needed to fight back effectively. 

To dive deeper into this critical issue, you can find our podcast in full. Titled “Are Fake AI Shops the New Brand Protection Crisis?” it includes detailed deliverables from EBRAND’s Lisa Deegan. We break down the threat landscape and provide a clear roadmap for securing your brand’s future. 

Ready to see your specific risk level? Get a free audit here to identify your most critical exposures. 

The post Talking AI Infringements: A New EBRAND Podcast appeared first on EBRAND.

Counterfeiters capitalize on the booming fitness market, from protein powder to sports jerseys, poisoning consumers and devastating brands. Protecting your health and your business demands vigilant online brand protection to dismantle these sophisticated scams. 

Introduction 

The journey to better health often begins with a simple click. An ad for a promising protein powder or a new vitamin supplement, endorsed by a fit influencer, prompts you to invest in your well-being. That purchase, however, could introduce dangerous toxins and heavy metals into your body. Unfortunately, fake websites and ecommerce fraud increasingly wastes consumer cash waste your money, and shatters trust in the industry.

An ecosystem of fake online shops, counterfeit product listings, and deceptive social media ads fuels this alarming reality. Scammers leverage AI and exploit global fitness trends and major sporting events to launch their schemes. These scams cost brands billions in revenue and, more crucially, poison consumers. We’ll dive right into this issue below, but in the meantime, you can also get a free brand audit from EBRAND. Are fake ads and fraudulent shops are currently impersonating your brand online? Find out here.

The Boom in Online Fitness and its Toxic Counterpart 

Economists project that the Online Fitness Market, valued at $20.19 billion in 2023, will explode to 146.47 billion by 2032. This staggering growth of 24.63%reflects our increasing reliance on digital platforms for health guidance and product purchases. However, this trend perfectly coincides with a rise in sophisticated, AI-powered ecommerce scams. Criminals leverage the same online landscape to create a toxic cocktail of counterfeit products that threaten to poison both consumers and brand reputations, turning a wellness revolution into a widespread health hazard. 

The Protein Powder Crisis in India 

India’s protein obsession, driven by internet buzz and influencer endorsements, has uncovered a dire public health concern. A landmark April 2024 study revealed that 70% of popular protein supplements sold in India carry mislabeled ingredients. Around 14% also contained outright toxins. Researchers discovered these products, particularly those sold online, harbored fungal toxins like known carcinogens, pesticide residues, and heavy metals such as lead and arsenic. Recent police raids recovered adulterated powder and manufacturing equipment, highlighting an industrial-scale problem. This isn’t just ineffective nutrition; it is a severe health crisis where contaminated protein powder can damage the liver and kidneys, with the potential for death in rare cases. 

The European Crackdown on Fake Medicines and Supplements 

The threat carries equal severity in Europe, as demonstrated by recent coordinated campaigns. In Northern Ireland, a major five-month crackdown seized 848,376 counterfeit tablets with a street value of £1.1 million. The operation targeted a wide range of illicit drugs, including weight loss products, steroids, and erectile dysfunction pills. This effort formed part of the wider Europol-supported Operation SHIELD V, which arrested 418 individuals and seized illicit goods worth over EUR 11.1 million, including millions of tablets and pills. The European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF) further confirmed the problem’s scale, noting that coordinated customs actions seized 3.4 million pills, proving counterfeit medicines and supplements threaten consumers across the continent. 

The Allure of Fake Sportswear and Jersey Scams 

The danger extends beyond what consumers ingest to what they wear. Counterfeit sportswear, gym wear, and sports jerseys represent a massive fraud operation that capitalizes on fitness trends and major events. A prime example occurred in Spain in April 2025, where an OLAF tip-off led authorities to seize 1.5 tonnes of counterfeit t-shirts and uniforms intended for sale during the Copa del Rey final. The seized goods held a market value of approximately €570,000. These scams defraud consumers, damage brand integrity, and often link to organized crime. Brands must actively protect their customers from these deceptive online offers. 

How Scammers Dominate Searches, from Protein Powder to Sports Brands

The mechanics of these scams increasingly demonstrate professional cunning. As The Independent reported in December 2024, fake sportswear sites topped Google searches during the prime Christmas shopping period. By using slight misspellings of popular brand names, these counterfeit operations hijack search results. The fake shops mimic authentic sites but strip away crucial contact details and company information, luring shoppers with attractive discounts. This strategy, combined with geo-fencing and fake social media ads, creates a pervasive net that traps average consumers, transforming online marketplaces into a minefield. 

Fighting Back Against Fitness Scams 

For brands, the traditional approach of manual takedowns and DMCA notices no longer suffices against such a dynamic, AI-powered threat. The scams operate with complexity and professional scale. To fight back effectively, companies need comprehensive Online Brand Protection solutions. These services automatically scan all digital channels, from social media to e-commerce platforms, to identify infringements and mitigate threats in bulk. This proactive defense is crucial for safeguarding consumers and preserving brand revenue. To understand your exposure, a free brand audit delivers the essential first step. 

Conclusion: Protecting Brands from Protein Powder to Sportswear

The counterfeit crisis poisons every facet of the fitness and wellness world, from protein powder and vitamins to sportswear and jerseys. As these scams grow more sophisticated, they escalate risks to consumer health and brand integrity. The relevance for brands, from pharmaceutical companies to sports clubs and gymwear manufacturers, has never been greater. The time to fight back is now. To learn how to identify and dismantle these fake operations, get our free fake shops guide and take the first step toward securing your brand online. 

The post Fake Protein Powder? Sports and Fitness Counterfeits Flare Online appeared first on EBRAND.

AI revolutionizes fake websites, as cybercriminals churn out sophisticated scams at an unprecedented scale. Modern fake websites generate convincing copy, realistic product images, and targeted campaigns that fool even cautious consumers. 

The Evolution of Digital Deception 

Imagine you’re chatting about a cool new bag while at work with your colleagues one day. After the conversation, you scroll on your phone on your lunch break. As if by magic, an ad for the exact bag appears on your Instagram, with a one-time 50% discount. You click through, and it looks legitimate. That being said, everyone knows about the dangers of fake websites, so you check with the brand’s customer service team first.

When the team investigates the ad, they discover something puzzling. The website has vanished, replaced by a generic parking page. Worse still, the ad has thousands of impressions and hundreds of clicks, and it’s still up and running. This digital sleight of hand represents the latest evolution in fake websites and fraudulent online shops, where criminals use increasingly sophisticated techniques to avoid detection while maximizing their impact on both consumers and legitimate brands. 

The fake ads and rogue websites phenomenon demands deeper investigation. That’s why we’re launching a podcast with Lisa Deegan, where we’ll explore the role of AI in fake shops and brand protection. 

Traditional Fake Shop Tactics Still Threaten Brands 

Criminal networks have long employed established methods to create convincing fake websites that mimic legitimate businesses. Cybersquatters register domain names that closely resemble trusted brands, often using subtle misspellings or alternative top-level domains to fool unsuspecting consumers. These lookalike pages often host stolen product images, copied website layouts, and enough authentic-looking content to create the illusion of legitimacy. 

Traditional fake shops often operate for extended periods, collecting payment information and personal data from victims while delivering counterfeit products or nothing at all. These operations require significant manual effort to maintain, which historically limited their scale and sophistication. However, fundamentally, established fake shops wreak a huge impact on ecommerce. They exploit brand trust, they steal cash from innocent shoppers, and they slash online revenues.

For more information, check out our existing guides to fake websites and fake shops. We’ve covered how to find them, and how to take them down, in some detail already. Next, we’ll talk about the emerging tactics that take them to the next level.

AI Transforms the Fake Website Landscape 

Generative AI changes the game, altering every facet of the fake website ecosystem. Essentially, LLMs remove the traditional barriers to creating convincing fraudulent content on a landing page, an ad, or an email. These tools help scammers produce high-quality product descriptions, realistic images, and compelling marketing copy within seconds, rather than hours or days. In short, this development means that fake websites achieve levels of polish and authenticity that previously required professional design skills and significant time investment. 

Thanks to AI automation, the frequency and volume of fake websites exploded. Criminal organizations can now generate hundreds or thousands of unique fake website landing pages simultaneously, each tailored to specific products, demographics, or geographic regions. To promote these pages, AI-generated fake ads flood social media platforms, accumulating thousands of views and hundreds of clicks before platform moderators identify and remove them. Every click represents lost revenue for legitimate businesses, broken brand trust, and a customer who may never return to the authentic website again. 

Advanced Targeting Through Geo-Fenced Fake Websites 

It’s not just frequency and volume that make these threats so concerning. Modern fake websites employ sophisticated geo-fencing technology to display different content based on visitors’ geographic locations, making them harder to detect and enforce against. Location-aware fake shops specifically target industries where regional preferences and regulations open opportunities for deception. Financial services companies, particularly emerging fintech platforms, face constant threats from fake apps, investment scams, and websites that mimic their branding to steal login credentials and financial information. 

Retail sectors like luxury goods, fashion, automotive parts, and electronics firms also suffer particularly high volumes of geo-targeted fake website attacks. Criminals recognize that consumers in different regions enjoy varying levels of familiarity with specific brands, allowing them to customize their deception strategies accordingly. Enforcement challenges multiply when fake websites appear differently to investigators in one country compared to targeted consumers in another region. Variations and technical obstacles make it difficult for both authorities and internal brand protection teams to coordinate takedown efforts. In the wake of this trend, intelligence services become essential partners for brands seeking to identify and combat these advanced fake website operations. 

Device-Specific Fake Websites Exploit Mobile Vulnerabilities 

Besides geo-fencing their fake websites and phishing ads, scammers develop all kinds of tactics to evade authorities and brand protection teams. Scams increasingly target specific devices, most commonly appearing exclusively on mobile phones or tablets while remaining invisible to desktop users. This tactic exploits the fact that most consumers browse and shop on mobile devices, where smaller screens and touch interfaces make it harder to spot red flags.

Also, with payment systems built into our phones, shoppers can spot an ad, click on it, and pay for it with their face or fingertips in a couple of seconds flat. The scam strikes before we even have time for a second thought.

When internal teams attempt to investigate the reported website on their work computers, they often find nothing unusual. In some cases, they cannot access the fraudulent content at all. Brands need specialized, mobile-focused detection tools to fight these kinds of malicious campaigns. With a comprehensive multi-channel monitoring solution, brand protection specialists replicate genuine consumer browsing patterns across multiple device types and operating systems. 

Comprehensive Online Brand Protection Strategies 

Brand must defend themselves against these evolving tactics to protect their clients, and their revenue. For example, EBRAND Online Brand Protection solution combines artificial intelligence, machine learning, and human expertise to detect and combat fake websites across all relevant channels. The system continuously monitors the internet for unauthorized use of brand assets, suspicious domain registrations, and fraudulent websites that target specific customer segments or geographic regions. 

Our ARGOS platform employs advanced algorithms to identify fake websites that use sophisticated evasion techniques that traditional monitoring systems miss. The solution provides real-time alerts when new threats emerge and fast-tracks the takedown process. Minimizing the window of opportunity for criminals helps proactive organizations limit reputational damage and protect their consumers. If you want to get started right away, we also offer a free fake shops audit to uncover your current threat landscape, and see which fake website scams currently target your brand and your industry. 

Protecting Your Brand in the AI Era 

As we’ve discussed, AI helps criminals industrialize their fake websites, putting more pressure on brands to find a solution. Next-generation advertisement scams leverage geo-fencing, device targeting, and AI-generated content to evade detection while maximizing their impact. Unfortunately, legacy brand protection approaches struggle to grapple with these threats. Brand must instead explore comprehensive monitoring solutions that detect and mitigate across all digital channels. 

Modern fake website operations demand expert analysis and strategic response. Join us for our upcoming podcast discussion with Lisa Deegan and EM360, where we will explore cutting-edge brand protection strategies and the evolving role of artificial intelligence in both creating and combating fake shops going forward. 

The post How AI helps fake websites and fake shops trick their targets  appeared first on EBRAND.

Back to school scams are on the rise as counterfeiters target parents shopping for  stationery, tech and branded clothes. Fake online shops sell dangerous knockoffs, putting children at risk from toxic materials and faulty electronics.  

The Growing Threat of Back to School Scams 

As summer winds down, parents face the annual rush of back to school shopping. This year, however, the hunt for stationery, gadgets and clothes comes with a hidden danger: a surge in back to school scams. Counterfeiters are flooding online marketplaces with fake versions of must-have items, preying on budget-conscious families. From toxic pencils to flammable uniforms and malfunctioning smartwatches, these fraudulent products not only waste money but also pose serious risks to children’s safety.  

The convenience of online shopping makes it easier than ever for counterfeiters to set up rogue websites and fake storefronts. These sellers mimic legitimate brands, offering seemingly unbeatable deals that lure unsuspecting parents. Behind the discounts lie substandard materials, unsafe manufacturing practices, and even dangerous chemicals. Back to school scams multiply, so parents and brands alike must take action to protect innocent schoolkids.  We’ll explore the topic in full below, but you can also get a back to school scams audit for your brand right here.

The Rise of Fake Online Shops 

Counterfeiters capitalize on the back to school shopping season by creating deceptive websites that appear legitimate at first glance. These fake shops often use stolen logos, copied product images, and fake reviews to trick buyers into believing they are purchasing genuine items. Once the transaction is complete, victims receive poorly made counterfeits, or nothing at all.  

The dangers extend beyond financial loss. Fake stationery may contain lead or other harmful chemicals, while counterfeited branded clothes or backpacks might lack fire-resistant treatments required by school safety standards. Electronics like smartwatches and phones sold through these scams often have faulty batteries that overheat or catch fire. For parents, the risk is clear: falling for back to school scams can put children in harm’s way.  

The Hidden Dangers of Fake Stationery 

Pencils, erasers, and notebooks seem harmless, but counterfeit versions can be anything but. Fake stationery often bypasses safety regulations, using toxic dyes, glues, or plastics that pose health risks to children. Cheaply made pens may leak, and markers might contain hazardous solvents. Even innocuous items like rulers or pencil cases can break easily, creating sharp edges that could injure young students.  

Parents shopping online should scrutinize sellers carefully, checking for misspellings, unusually low prices, and lack of contact information. Legitimate brands rarely sell their products at steep discounts, so deals that seem too good to be true usually are. By staying vigilant, parents can avoid back to school scams and keep their children safe from dangerous counterfeit goods.  

Rogue Websites Selling Fake School Clothes 

Counterfeiters target both official school uniforms and the branded clothes children wear to school in countries where uniforms are uncommon. Parents often buy branded shoes, joggers, and sportswear instead, which makes them a prime target for fake online shops. These rogue sites promote big-name school clothing and footwear at bargain prices, but the items that arrive are often poorly stitched, made from inferior materials, and may lack essential safety standards. Poorly made runners, for example, can fall apart within weeks, cause discomfort, or even lead to injuries.  

In the UK, US, and Ireland, counterfeit school uniforms may also fail to meet strict flammability regulations, putting children at risk during science experiments or near open flames. Parents should buy school clothes, shoes, and uniforms only from authorized retailers or directly from the school. When shopping online, they should verify the site’s legitimacy by checking for secure payment options and genuine customer reviews. Falling for back-to-school scams involving fake school clothes or footwear not only wastes money but can also put children in danger.  

Fake Smartwatches and Phones in Back to School Scams

The demand for children’s smartwatches and budget-friendly phones spikes during the back to school season, and counterfeiters are ready to exploit it. Fake electronics often mimic popular brands, offering features like GPS tracking or emergency calling at suspiciously low prices. However, these devices may have unreliable batteries, weak security, or no functionality at all.  

Faulty batteries in counterfeit tech can overheat, posing a fire hazard, while poorly constructed charging cables may electrocute users. Parents should research products thoroughly, buy from reputable retailers, and avoid third-party sellers with no verifiable history. Back to school scams involving tech not only drain wallets but also endanger children who rely on these devices for safety and communication.  

How Parents and Brands Can Take a Stand

While parents can report suspicious sellers and scrutinize online shops, brands must also step up their efforts to combat back to school scams. Proactive brand protection solutions, including AI-powered monitoring and optical character recognition (OCR), can identify counterfeit listings before they reach consumers. Advanced tools scan e-commerce platforms, social media, and domain registrations to detect fake stores impersonating legitimate brands.  

Intelligence and investigations play a critical role in dismantling counterfeit networks. By tracking fraudulent sellers and working with law enforcement, brands can take down rogue websites and prevent future scams. The back to school shopping season should be a time of excitement, not anxiety. With the right protections in place, brands can ensure parents buy genuine, safe products for their children.  

Conclusion: Fight Back Against Back to School Scams

Back to school scams are a growing threat, with counterfeiters exploiting parents’ trust and budgets. From toxic stationery to flammable uniforms and dangerous electronics, fake products put children at risk. Parents must stay cautious, while brands need to invest in robust anti-counterfeit measures to protect their customers.  

For brands looking to safeguard their reputation ahead of the back to school rush, a proactive approach is essential. Request a free back to school scams audit today to monitor your brand’s online landscape and stop counterfeiters before they strike. 

The post Back to School Scams: How Fake School Supplies Put Kids at Risk  appeared first on EBRAND.

The battle against counterfeiting and replicas is not just about protecting profits—it’s about safeguarding consumers from dangerous fakes. As counterfeiters grow more sophisticated amid trade disruption and new international relationships, brands must adapt their defenses. This article explores the evolving of counterfeit goods in Canada, how consumers can spot and avoid them, and what businesses can do to shut down these illegal operations before they strike. 

The Rising Danger of Counterfeiting and Replicas in Canada 

Counterfeiters no longer operate solely in back-alley markets or shady websites. Today, they infiltrate legitimate online platforms, social media networks, and even major e-commerce sites, flooding the market with counterfeiting and replicas that mimic everything from luxury handbags to life-saving medications. The consequences extend far beyond lost sales—fake electronics can malfunction catastrophically, counterfeit pharmaceuticals may contain toxic ingredients, and knockoff children’s toys often bypass safety testing entirely. 

One recent case highlights the severity of the issue: U.S. law enforcement arrested a Canadian vendor smuggling millions of counterfeit pills through the dark web. This high-profile bust represents only a fraction of the problem. Counterfeiters constantly adapt, using fake storefronts, manipulated search ads, and social media scams to reach consumers directly. Without swift action, these illicit operations will continue to thrive, putting more Canadians at risk. 

How Counterfeiters Adapt to a Changing Market 

Global trade shifts, supply chain disruptions, and new e-commerce trends have created fresh opportunities for counterfeiters. Rather than relying on outdated tactics, they now employ sophisticated strategies to evade detection. Some register cybersquatter domains—fake websites with URLs nearly identical to legitimate brands—to trick shoppers into entering payment details. Others exploit social media platforms, using paid promotions to push counterfeit goods directly into consumers’ feeds. 

Perhaps most alarming is the rise of counterfeiters running deceptive ad campaigns. By mimicking real brands’ marketing styles, they bypass platform safeguards and position their scams in front of thousands of potential victims. These ads often lead to professional-looking storefronts that vanish as soon as buyers realize they’ve been duped. For brands, this means the fight against counterfeiting and replicas must extend beyond traditional enforcement—it requires constant vigilance across every digital channel. 

How Consumers Protect Themselves 

The Canadian government issued clear guidelines to help shoppers avoid falling victim to counterfeiting and replicas. Consumers should always purchase from authorized retailers rather than unfamiliar third-party sellers offering suspiciously low prices. Checking for authenticity markers, such as holograms, serial numbers, or QR codes, can help verify legitimate products. 

If a deal seems too good to be true, it likely is. Shoppers who encounter counterfeit goods should report them immediately—whether to the brand being impersonated, the platform hosting the fraudulent listing, or the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre. Public awareness remains one of the most effective tools in disrupting counterfeit networks before they can cause further harm. 

How Brands Fight Back

For businesses, the fight against counterfeiting and replicas requires a proactive, multi-layered approach. The first step is conducting regular audits of online marketplaces, social media platforms, and domain registrations to identify unauthorized sellers and fake storefronts. Once detected, brands must act swiftly, issuing takedown notices and, when necessary, pursuing legal action against repeat offenders. 

Advanced technology, such as AI-powered image recognition and automated monitoring tools, can help detect counterfeit listings faster than manual searches. Some companies also embed hidden authentication features in their products, making it harder for fraudsters to produce convincing fakes. By staying ahead of counterfeiters’ tactics, brands can minimize reputational damage and protect their customers from scams. 

The Fight Against Counterfeiting and Replicas: Immediate Action 

The spread of counterfeiting and replicas in Canada shows no signs of slowing down. As counterfeiters refine their methods, both consumers and businesses must remain vigilant. Shoppers should educate themselves on common scams, while brands need to invest in stronger detection and enforcement strategies. 

The cost of inaction is too high—lost revenue, damaged trust, and, in the worst cases, harm to public health. Now is the time for businesses to take a stand. Is your brand at risk? Start with a free audit to uncover counterfeit threats and secure your reputation before it’s too late. 

The post How to Tackle Counterfeiting and Replicas in Canada  appeared first on EBRAND.

In this guide, we’ll break down the counterfeits definition and explore its impact on consumers, brands, and economies. We’ll examine both offline and online counterfeiting, the role of ecommerce platforms like Temu, TikTok Shop, AliExpress, and Shein, and the latest trends in enforcement and brand protection. Finally, we’ll share actionable steps brands can take to fight back, safeguard their reputation, and protect consumers from counterfeit threats. 

Establishing an authentic counterfeits definition 

The counterfeits definition extends beyond luxury handbags and electronics—it covers any unauthorized reproduction of branded goods designed to mislead buyers. Counterfeiting has existed for centuries, but global trade and digital commerce have transformed it into a massive industry. The internet removed physical barriers, allowing counterfeiters to scale their operations at an unprecedented rate. By the late 1990s and early 2000s, fraudulent sellers had infiltrated eBay with fake designer handbags, watches, and sneakers. In 2008, Tiffany & Co. and Louis Vuitton sued eBay over rampant counterfeit sales, forcing ecommerce platforms to take counterfeiting more seriously. 

As online commerce grew, so did the counterfeiting industry. The launch of Silk Road in 2011 proved how digital anonymity could fuel large-scale counterfeit sale. Fake IDs, currency, and branded goods appeared alongside illegal drugs. Authorities shut it down in 2013, but counterfeiters had already migrated to mainstream ecommerce sites like Amazon and Alibaba. Fake electronics became the next growing concern, and by the mid-2010s, counterfeiters had refined their tactics.

Updating our counterfeits definition to meet the next trends

In the modern era, superfakes redefined counterfeiting. These high-quality counterfeits obliterated the line between imitation and authenticity. Skilled counterfeiters craft goods with high-end materials, identical stitching, and even source them from the same suppliers as luxury brands. Platforms like TikTok and Reddit drive demand, flooding digital marketplaces with hyper-realistic replicas that slash brand revenue and undermine consumer trust. To fight back, luxury brands must deploy AI-driven brand protection and enforce takedowns aggressively, as we explore in our recent superfakes guide.

Nowadays, scammers exploit SEO, paid ads, fake reviews, and dropshipping to expand their reach. Counterfeit operations span retail websites, broad marketplaces like eBay and Temu, and integrated social media shops like TikTok Shop. While physical counterfeiting still plays a role, online counterfeiting reaches directly into consumers’ pockets, cutting deeper into legitimate revenue than ever before. 

How counterfeiting drains revenue and damages trust

Counterfeiting inflicts serious damage on brands, cutting into revenue, eroding consumer trust, and forcing businesses into costly legal battles. Studies show that around 47% of brands suffer sales losses due to counterfeit products, with many experiencing revenue declines of 10% or more. These losses hit medium and large enterprises the hardest, as counterfeiters target well-known, high-margin brands with established consumer trust. The clothing industry lost an annual average of 12 billion Euros in recent years, including over 5% of the industry’s sales in the EU. Luxury fashion houses, pharmaceutical firms, and electronics manufacturers regularly battle counterfeiters, but the problem extends far beyond premium goods. Everyday consumer products like tobacco, alcohol, snacks, and health supplements also face widespread counterfeiting, leading to safety concerns and damaged brand reputations. 

A true counterfeits definition appreciates the economic impact, extending beyond individual businesses. Job losses ripple through entire industries, particularly in sectors like fashion, where fakes undercut legitimate sales and disrupt supply chains. In heavily affected industries, counterfeiting can cost tens of thousands of jobs, reducing investment in innovation and product development. Research shows that the European toy sector employs around 3,600 fewer people every year due to the economic drain of counterfeiting, as real people suffer the economic consequence of counterfeit crimes. While physical goods remain the primary target, digital products and services also suffer. Software piracy, unauthorized reselling, and IP hijacking harm tech companies and service providers, stripping away revenue while enabling cybercriminals to exploit trusted brands. As counterfeiters become more sophisticated, brands must fight on multiple fronts—tackling fraudulent sellers across ecommerce platforms, broad online marketplaces, and social media storefronts to protect their customers and their bottom line. 

Counterfeit goods: A hidden threat to consumer health

Beyond financial losses and brand damage, counterfeit products pose serious risks to consumer health and safety. A counterfeits definition of consumer impacts must include the risk of toxic chemicals in food, medicine, and personal care. Recent studies from the EUIPO on the health impact and economic impact of counterfeits highlight the alarming dangers of fake pharmaceuticals. Counterfeit products like weight loss pills and cosmetics inflict poisoning, allergic reactions, and heavy metal contamination on their unsuspecting consumers. Fake feminine care products and unregulated baby formula also proliferate across online markets. These hazardous goods creating health crises for vulnerable consumers who unknowingly trust these dangerous imitations. 

Counterfeit production also harms workers and the environment. Many counterfeit goods come from factories with scant regard for safety regulations, worker rights, or sustainable sourcing. The rise of counterfeit vaping products, untested skincare, and imitation wellness supplements introduces unknown long-term health risks to innocent customers. While authorities work to shut down illicit supply chains, counterfeiters constantly find new ways to evade detection. Brands have both a responsibility and a financial incentive to intervene. Fortunately, anti-counterfeiting strategies help us detect, disrupt, and remove these threats wherever they appear. 

Investigating the supply chain: Stopping counterfeits at the source 

Counterfeit goods don’t appear out of nowhere. They spread through untapped markets, moving from unregulated factories to shipping containers, ports, and finally into shops, online stores, and street markets worldwide. Even when brand managers know their products are being counterfeited, gathering concrete evidence remains a challenge. Many companies underestimate the scale of the issue until it’s too late. In fact, 9 out of 10 businesses find their products being resold without approval. That’s where Intelligence and Investigation Services step in, using undercover operations, test purchases, and forensic analysis to track unauthorized sellers, grey market resellers, and large-scale counterfeit networks. 

Investigations go beyond detection. Establishing a counterfeits definition helps businesses reclaim losses by shutting down bad actors. Working with law enforcement, investigators identify production sites, coordinate raids, and seize counterfeit goods before they flood the market. This work doesn’t just protect profits—it safeguards customers, secures trade partnerships, and prevents unauthorized resellers from undercutting legitimate pricing. Effective tools and tactics make a difference, but what matters most is results. Brand hold counterfeiters accountable with intelligence reports, criminal enforcement, raids, takedowns, and revenue recovery.

While offline investigations remain a critical part of the fight, brands must also keep an eye on the digital battlefield. There, counterfeiters exploit online marketplaces, social media, and hidden storefronts to hit consumers through their screens. 

Concluding our counterfeits definition: Fighting back with omnichannel protection 

As counterfeiters and scammers proliferate, protecting your brand’s online presence means more to your consumers, and your bottom line, than ever. Our counterfeits definition, and our anti-counterfeiting definition, means comprehensive enforcement across offline and online channels. Brands must adopt an omnichannel approach to protect themselves. Implementing robust detection and enforcement solutions helps well-protected organizations fight counterfeiting wherever it appears. Online Brand Protection services offer comprehensive coverage, from websites to the dark web and more. Protected brands enforce their IP ecommerce platforms like Amazon and Alibaba. Beyond that, these solutions deliver concrete results on social media channels like Instagram and TikTok Shop, covering the full spectrum of infringement channels.

Omnichannel protection goes beyond merely identifying counterfeit listings; it’s about proactive monitoring, swift alerts, and fast-track takedowns to ensure that your brand is shielded from harm. With practical search capabilities, automated alerts, and streamlined takedown processes, you’ll safeguard your products and reputation across all digital channels. If you haven’t yet uncovered the scale of counterfeit activity affecting your brand, consider a free brand audit. It’s the first step in fighting back against online counterfeiters and ensuring your brand stay safe and well-protected.

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A test purchase delivers critical evidence in the fight against counterfeiters. It enables brands to gather concrete proof of infringements, verify the authenticity of products, and take decisive action against scammers and cybercriminals. While the concept may seem straightforward, executing an effective test purchase strategy demands time, resources, and expertise, so let’s get into it.   

In this article, we’ll explore how a test purchase works, its pros and cons, and the role it plays in intelligence and investigation strategies that protect your brand.  

What are Test Purchases, and Why Do They Matter? 

Picture this: you discover a suspicious listing on Amazon. The seller offers your product at a fraction of the price, and you don’t recognize them as an authorized reseller. What’s your next step? Without concrete evidence, it’s hard to take decisive action. To gather the required evidence, you may need to make a test purchase.   

A test purchase involves buying the product in question to verify its authenticity. Once the product arrives, you carefully inspect it for signs of counterfeiting, such as poor quality, missing branding, or incorrect packaging. This process not only confirms whether the product is fake but also provides the evidence you need to take legal action, enforce reseller policies, or request platform takedowns.   

The Complexities of Test Purchases

Test purchases offer undeniable benefits for brands looking to protect their intellectual property and revenue. One of the most significant advantages lies in its ability to provide irrefutable physical evidence. Whether you build a case for litigation or submit a takedown request to an online marketplace, having a material counterfeit product in hand strengthens your position. Additionally, a test purchase helps you identify the source of counterfeit goods, supporting broader enforcement actions against manufacturers and distributors.  These kinds of insights lay the foundations for the next steps in your enforcement actions, including litigation and physical raids that bring counterfeiters and infringers to justice. 

However, the tactic also presents drawbacks and challenges. Firstly, it requires you to give a small amount of money to the scammers themselves, funding their operation. This sacrifice, however frustrating, ultimately delivers the evidence you need to take them down.  

Beyond that, an effective test purchase requires significant time and resources. You must identify suspicious listings, place orders, and meticulously document each step of the process. Throughout this process, buyers must remain anonymous and avoid detection by the seller, otherwise they might switch out their usual counterfeits for legitimate products, or cancel the sale altogether. For businesses with limited internal capacity, this process overwhelms even the most dedicated teams. Counterfeiters often operate across multiple platforms and regions, making it difficult to scale test purchase efforts without support. Gathering the right evidence means negotiating with the complexity of regional differences and local expertise on a global scale. 

How Test Purchases Fit into Comprehensive Brand Protection Strategies 

While a test purchase proves powerful, the tactic represents just one piece of the puzzle. A truly effective Online Brand Protection strategy combines a test purchase with advanced detection tools, legal expertise, and enforcement capabilities.   

For example, innovative monitoring tools can scan platforms like Amazon, eBay, TikTok Shop, and even standalone webstores for suspicious activity. Once you identify potential counterfeiters, you can use a test purchase to verify the infringement. From there, legal teams can take action, whether they send cease-and-desist letters, file lawsuits, or work with law enforcement.   

This multi-layered approach ensures that you not only detect counterfeiters but also take decisive action to stop them.   

Why Most Brands Cannot Do It Alone 

The reality is that most businesses lack the time and resources to manage a test purchase and broader Online Brand Protection. Identifying counterfeiters, conducting a test purchase without being noticed, and pursuing legal action requires a complex and time-consuming process. Successful test purchases even require buyers to go undercover, and conduct covert communications with the seller to coordinate the delivery. This illicit back-and-forth requires far too much time for a busy, product-focussed brand manager. For some, you need also to register yourself in the portal of the counterfeiters, which presents serious obstacles for business-to-business test purchases. Brand managers may not want to register and contact details or login information with the counterfeiters themselves, thereby requiring third-party support to gather the “smoking gun,” infringement-wise.  

This is where partnering with a comprehensive OBP service proves invaluable. These services combine cutting-edge detection tools with seasoned investigators and legal experts, ensuring that every step—from a test purchase to litigation—is handled efficiently and effectively.   

Conclusion: Take Action to Protect Your Brand 

Counterfeiters and scammers pose a persistent threat, but with the right tools and strategies, you can protect your brand and revenue. B2B or B2C test purchases serve as a critical component of this effort, providing the evidence you need to enforce your rights and take action against bad actors.   

However, managing a test purchase and broader Online Brand Protection efforts can feel overwhelming. That’s why partnering with experts who handle the heavy lifting for you becomes essential.   

Ready to take the next step? Start with a free brand audit to uncover counterfeiters and scammers exploiting your brand. And if you need offline investigation support, get in touch with Arkadiusz, a seasoned counterfeit investigator, to strengthen your enforcement efforts.   

Don’t let counterfeiters damage your brand—act now to secure your reputation and your revenue. 

The post Test Purchases: The Proof Is in the Package appeared first on EBRAND.

Ultimately, infringers combine online tactics (fake online shops, social media profiles and ads, and grey market listings), with offline logistics (stealing from manufacturers, infiltrating supply lines, shipping goods across borders). Effective anti-counterfeiting and grey market therefore require offline counterparts to your online efforts, to finally protect your brand and stop the infringers. Here, we’ll explore the importance of offline investigations, and how to implement a strategy that takes the issue’s full scope into account. 

How online counterfeiters exploit offline networks

Damaging operations often form vast, highly organized networks. These networks operate with one goal and several means to achieve it: generating revenue by selling fake goods. To achieve these goals, they’ll stop at nothing, executing targeted attacks on both physical and digital fronts. Tactics of counterfeiters typically include factory break-ins, counterfeit production lines, and large-scale smuggling campaigns. Once they secure their materials, counterfeiters use them to fuel fake webshop operations. Their social media scam campaigns also sell stolen goods or knockoffs.  

This dual approach combines offline theft, grey markets, and counterfeiting with online distribution. Integrating their tactics allows infringers to infiltrate legitimate markets while evading detection. Each link of complexity in their supply and distribution chain makes them harder to detect and harder to bring to justice. Infringers span continents to exploit weaknesses in global trade. 

One striking example involves counterfeiters directly targeting legitimate factories where thieves broke into a Chanel factory in Milan. They stole 30,000 serial number cards during the middle of the night, which Chanel had earmarked to authenticate its products. The cards, along with holograms, verify the authenticity of luxury items. Counterfeiters later used the stolen serial numbers to produce fake goods which could pass as genuine, undermining brand integrity. The theft highlighted how counterfeiters infiltrate legitimate production systems, flooding both physical and digital markets with convincing fakes. 

Smuggling, grey markets, and the global supply chain

Beyond factory thefts, counterfeiters rely on sophisticated smuggling operations. They exploit global shipping networks to distribute fake goods. According to the OECD, containerships transport 56% of the total value of seized counterfeits, and major ports in East Asia serve as key hubs. These networks move counterfeit goods through complex logistics chains, often concealing fakes within legitimate shipments. Their evolving tactics make it difficult for anti-counterfeiting authorities to detect and intercept fakes on the open market. Clearly, robust offline investigations complement digital enforcement efforts for comprehensive anti-counterfeiting coverage. 

Online Brand Protection solutions play a critical role in tackling these trends across digital landscapes. However, brands must also address the physical logistics of counterfeiting and parallel trade distribution networks. Digital monitoring tools identify suspicious online listings, and investigators then verify the origin and distribution of these goods. Crucially, Online Brand Protection helps address the influx of small packages, while supply chain data delivers the tools and insights to tackle larger shipments. By integrating online and offline strategies, brands and authorities can disrupt the entire counterfeiting chain.  

How to fight back against counterfeits and grey markets

Counterfeit networks operate on a scale that many businesses find overwhelming. These operations don’t just push fake products online; they run like professional businesses, complete with customer service teams, supply chains, and even quality control measures. Their operations seem seamless, shifting between online platforms and physical distribution channels, making them difficult to track and disrupt.    

Ultimately, they are sophisticated, but by no means unstoppable. With the right strategies and a dedicated team, businesses can dismantle counterfeit supply chains and reclaim lost revenue. Combining online brand protection with on-the-ground investigative services, companies eliminate uncertainty and take direct action against counterfeiters.   

Revenue recovery is not just about enforcement. It’s also about ensuring that businesses regain control over their brand, their market share, and their customer trust. A strong anti-counterfeiting approach integrates both digital monitoring and physical investigations, allowing brands to track, trace, and shut down counterfeit operations at every stage of the supply chain.   

Here are three key strategies to fight back against counterfeit, but also grey market / parallel trade, networks:  

Online investigations

Online investigations form the backbone of modern brand protection efforts. They leverage vast amounts of open-source intelligence (OSINT) to track illicit networks. By analyzing digital footprints, investigators identify key players in illicit operations, map out online supply chains, and uncover hidden connections between online sellers and physical distribution hubs.  

That being said, digital intelligence alone is not enough. Criminal networks operate across both online and offline spaces, requiring a broader approach. By integrating OSINT with intelligence on exporters, importers, and intermediaries, investigators gain a clearer picture of how counterfeit or grey market goods move from exporters to global markets. This combination of digital forensics and traditional investigative techniques ensures that enforcement actions are not only reactive. They also work proactively, disrupting bad actors at their source. Online investigations, and the results that follow, deliver valuable revenue recovery, wresting ecommerce finances from the hands of criminals back to their rightful owners. 

Test purchases

A crucial tactic in anti-counterfeiting efforts, test purchases help verify the authenticity of products and expose grey market supply chains. By acquiring suspect goods from online marketplaces, social media vendors, and even physical storefronts, investigators gather direct evidence. This method provides also insight into packaging, labelling, and distribution methods. 

In many cases, test purchases reveal links between online sellers and large-scale grey market operators. For instance, a test purchase from an online marketplace may lead to a brick-and-mortar distributor supplying identical products. By conducting test purchases across multiple regions, investigators can map the scope of an operation and trace goods back to their origin. This approach strengthens legal actions and enhances enforcement measures, ensuring that both digital and physical networks are dismantled. 

Offline investigations in anti-counterfeiting and grey markets

While online monitoring provides critical intelligence, on-the-ground investigations offer unparalleled insights into production and distribution. Field investigators visit suspect locations, including manufacturing sites, warehouses, and physical retail outlets, to confirm illicit activity and gather actionable intelligence. 

These investigations often reveal hidden supply routes, identify key players within counterfeit networks, and expose connections that digital analysis alone cannot uncover. By coordinating with law enforcement, customs agencies, and industry experts, investigators. document evidence firsthand. This supports targeted enforcement actions such as raids, seizures, and factory shutdowns. The ability to physically verify and disrupt counterfeit supply chains ensures a comprehensive anti-counterfeiting approach that extends beyond digital monitoring. 

What’s next? Integrating your brand protection

Counterfeiting networks and grey market goods operations obstruct your revenue, damage brand integrity, and erode customer trust.  

If you’re ready to take action, start with a free brand audit to uncover how bad actors are targeting your business online. Get in touch with Arkadiusz, our Director of Intelligence and Investigations, to see how we can work together to prioritize revenue recovery, stop counterfeiters, grey market and parallel traders, while protecting your brand—and your clients—with effective strategies. 

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These scams no longer rely on manual efforts, and they can’t be detected or solved manually either. Here, we’ll explore how scammers exploit CDNs, the challenges they create, and what brands can do to protect themselves and their customers.  

What Are CDNs, and How Do They Differ from Traditional Fake Shop Scams? 

A Content Delivery Network (CDN) refers to a network of servers distributed globally, designed to deliver web content—like images, videos, and scripts—quickly and efficiently to users based on their geographic location. CDNs power many legitimate websites, ensuring fast load times and smooth user experiences. Almost all large-scale businesses and organizations use CDNs for their websites, even governments. However, scammers also abuse CDNs to create and distribute fake online shopping websites.  

Unlike traditional fake website scams, CDN-based campaigns use Content Distribution Network infrastructure to host malicious content. This approach allows scammers to create hundreds or even thousands of deceptive domains that appear legitimate, making detection and takedowns far more challenging.  

These large-scale CDN scam campaigns often trace back to organized ecommerce fraud syndicates. Cybercriminal gangs structure themselves like legitimate businesses. Some start with negative cashflow investment phases to fund Google Ads and social media marketing to generate traffic to their fake websites. Others even employ quality control teams and specialized departments to siphon data, steal cash, fight back against takedown requests, and plan their next impersonation on another household brand.

How Scammers Use CDNs to Multiply Ecommerce Fraud 

Scammers exploit CDNs in several ways to scale their operations. They often upload counterfeit logos, product images, and even entire website templates to CDNs, enabling them to create fake shops that look nearly identical to legitimate brands. By leveraging the speed and reliability of CDNs, these fake shops load quickly and perform well, tricking users into believing they are visiting a genuine ecommerce site.  

It’s not just Content Delivery Networks that scammers abuse: they host all kinds of technical assets and servers, from payment system servers to databases and domains. In some cases, a handful of servers and payment gateways lays the foundations for tens of thousands of fake shops. Scam networks of different sizes target each brand, besieging business owners with small nodes and colossal campaigns alike.

Scammers use AI and automation tools to algorithmically generate hundreds of fake shop domains in minutes. These domains often cluster and multiply, creating a network of interconnected fraudulent sites. Clusterization makes it hard for manual takedown efforts to keep up, as scammers quickly replace removed domains on the fly.

A Real-World Case: Hundreds of Deceptive Domains Targeting a Global Retailer 

We recently detected a network of hundreds of scam sites impersonating a major international retailer specializing in white goods and household supplies. The scammers used a content delivery network (CDN) to host shared resources—such as product images and branding—across multiple fraudulent domains. Each site mimicked the retailer’s official presence, tricking customers into purchasing non-existent products. 

This operation demonstrated the increasing sophistication of large-scale fake shop networks. By algorithmically generating domains and distributing infrastructure across multiple providers, scammers created a system designed to evade traditional detection methods. The use of CDNs allowed them to manage and update hundreds of sites efficiently, ensuring that any takedowns had minimal impact on the overall operation. 

For brands facing these threats, tackling them requires more than just identifying fraudulent domains. Effective action means mapping out scam networks, investigating their infrastructure, and pursuing enforcement at scale. Without this combined approach, scammers can continue to replicate and adapt, prolonging the risk to businesses and consumers alike. 

What to Do If Your Brand Falls Victim to a CDN Scam 

If you discover that scammers are using a CDN to impersonate your brand and launch fake online shopping websites, you must act fast to protect your clients. Start by documenting all fraudulent domains and gathering evidence. With this information, you can build a case for hosting providers to take down any infringing domains. 

However, manual takedowns are rarely sufficient to address the scale of these attacks. Businesses must look to preemptive, automated, and wide-reaching solutions like online brand protection. These services specialize in detecting and eliminating fraudulent domains at scale. They use advanced tools to monitor threat channels and identify emerging scams.  

Taking down fake shops manually involves identifying each fraudulent domain, gathering evidence, and submitting takedown requests to hosting providers or CDNs. While this approach can work for isolated cases, it becomes ineffective against large-scale, algorithmically generated scams.

In contrast, comprehensive online brand protection uses advanced technology to detect and eliminate fake shops at scale. These solutions monitor the internet for unauthorized use of your brand, clusterize fake shop assets, and automate takedown requests. By addressing the root of the problem, brand protection services provide a more effective and long-term solution.  

How Proactive Brand Protection Works 

Proactive brand protection operates like a digital detective, searching threat channels and joining the dots to uncover large-scale technical campaigns of ecommerce fraud. These services use AI and machine learning to analyze patterns, identify clusters of fake shops, and predict emerging threats. By staying one step ahead of scammers, proactive brand protection helps safeguard your customers. Ultimately, detecting and deterring fraudsters secures your online revenue.  

The benefits extend beyond protecting customers. Proactive brand protection also reassures your colleagues, partners, and legitimate resellers, ensuring that your brand’s reputation remains intact. By demonstrating a commitment to combating fraud, you build trust with your audience and strengthen your position in the market.  

Take Action Today with a Free Brand Audit 

Don’t wait until your brand becomes the target of a CDN-based scam. Take proactive steps to protect your business and your customers. In fact, you can get a free brand audit right here. Our experts will analyze your online presence, identify potential threats, and provide actionable recommendations to safeguard your brand.  

By acting now, you can stay ahead of scammers, protect your revenue, and build a stronger, more resilient brand. Let’s work together to create a safer online shopping experience for everyone. 

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