Building your brand helps you leverage your reputation to build customer trust and ecommerce revenue. However, the second that brands hit the market, they suffer constant threats from fakes and fraudsters. Infringements, counterfeit goods, and grey market sellers pop up everywhere, from marketplaces to emerging platforms like Temu and TikTok Shop. These scams put your revenue and customer trust on the line. That’s why you need to fight back, with a comprehensive plan to protect your brand. This brand protection guide will help you navigate these threats, and chart a course for ecommerce success. 

We have designed this resource to cover the entire landscape, providing a simple roadmap to secure your intellectual property. Here, we will explore everything from brand monitoring to tackling infringements, giving you the foundational knowledge to fight back effectively. To get a headstart, you can also pick up a free brand audit right here.

Understanding Brand Protection 

What is brand protection? Well, as a concept, it means defending your intellectual property (IP) online and offline. Brand protection covers all the tools and tactics you need to combat threats it your name, logos, and products. Unfortunately, these threats spread and evolve. Scammers use sophisticated tactics to trick your customers with counterfeit goods, fraudulent websites, and phishing schemes.

Brand threats create all kinds of headaches for modern businesses, stealing your revenue, damaging customer loyalty, and even posing issues around digital compliance. A proactive brand protection strategy means continuously detect these threats and take decisive action to neutralize them, safeguarding your customers and your organization’s future. 

A Brand Protection Guide to Fake Shops

Let’s take one specific example, to hone in on an something you need to protect your brand from: fake shops. But again, what are fake shops? Scammers increasingly set up fraudulent online outlets, either impersonating your brand across the whole site, or hosting counterfeit listings in a multi-brand fake shop.

To fight back against these kinds of threats, you need a brand protection guide from start to finish: detecting, tracking, verifying, and eliminating fake shops. The rise of artificial intelligence supercharges this threat, as it changes the game for many online interactions. In this case, generative AI unleashes fake shops with flawless copy, realistic fake images, and hundreds of malicious landing pages in minutes.  

Fakes shop scammers add extra barbs to their campaigns. They boost them on social media, turbochanrge their SEO, and even promote them with fake PPC ads. With brand risks appearing across all of these channels at high frequency, how can an organization fight back? Understanding this modern threat is the first critical step in this brand protection guide. 

Brand Protection from Start to Finish 

A comprehensive defence requires a methodical, end-to-end process. This section of our brand protection guide breaks down the key stages. 

Building Your Identity 

Your brand protection begins with a strong foundation. To get started, formally register your trademarks, copyrights, and domain names in all your key markets. This legal groundwork provides the undeniable proof of ownership you need to enforce your rights. It also helps you expand your online presence later on. 

Monitoring and Detection 

You cannot protect against threats you cannot see. Well-protected brands must monitor the entire digital ecosystem. Possible attack vectors include marketplaces, social media platforms, web domains, and app stores, to identify potential infringements. Monitoring all of these channels effectively means searching for your branded keywords, logos, and product imagery. 

Tracking and Analysis 

Once you detect a potential threat, you must track and analyze it. Successful brand protection includes the right checks and analytics to determine the scale and severity of each infringement. Is it a single counterfeit listing or part of a vast, coordinated network? Answering these kinds of questions delivers the keys to a well-protected brand. With sustained, rigorous tracking, you’ll prioritize the most damaging threats and understand the patterns of specific bad actors. 

Mitigation and Takedowns 

Next in this brand protection guide comes the enforcement phase. Armed with evidence of your registered IP, brands can formally request that the hosting platform, marketplace, or domain registrar removes the infringing content. Effective takedowns require precise communication and an understanding of each platform’s specific reporting procedures. Takedowns also mean persistence and patience, as each platform requires a different procedure, and you’ll find some far smoother than others. For more information, you can also find our guide to takedowns here.

A Brand Protection Guide to Resolution and Reporting 

A successful takedown is not the end of the brand protection story. To future-proof your strategy, you need to documented and analyze each case, to glean insights for the next infringement. Reporting on resolved threats helps you refine your monitoring strategies, identify recurring offenders, and demonstrate the return on investment of your brand protection program.

The Trouble with Manual Brand Protection

Many brands begin their defence with manual efforts, but this approach quickly reveals its limitations. Manually searching for fakes across dozens of platforms consumes countless hours. The process of filing takedown requests is equally tedious, often involving complex forms and unresponsive third-party administrators. As scammers use AI to scale their operations, manual methods simply cannot keep pace. The sheer volume of new infringements that appear daily makes it a losing battle, draining your team’s time and energy while allowing scams to proliferate. 

Brand Protection Platforms: Your Next Strategic Advantage

To overcome the inefficiencies of manual processes, leading brands leverage dedicated brand protection platforms. These solutions automate the entire lifecycle of protection, delivering speed and scale that manual efforts cannot match. Any decent brand protection guide must include the option of comprehensive solutions that support growing organizations to fight infringements and recover revenue online.

Integrated APIs and Global Monitoring 

Advanced platforms use smart APIs to integrate directly with major online platforms, enabling real-time monitoring of global marketplaces, social media channels, and digital ad networks. This provides a unified view of your brand’s digital presence, leaving no corner of the internet unchecked. 

AI-Powered Threat Clustering 

Modern platforms use artificial intelligence to detect threats and cluster them intelligently. This technology identifies connections between seemingly separate infringements, revealing large-scale networks run by a single bad actor. This allows you to dismantle entire operations with a single, coordinated action, rather than fighting one listing at a time.

Expert Legal Support for Takedowns 

The best platforms combine technology with human expertise. They provide access to legal professionals who specialize in intellectual property law and have established relationships with registrars and platform administrators globally. This expertise dramatically increases the speed and success rate of your takedown requests, ensuring swift resolution.

What’s Next for your Brand Protection Guide

This brand protection guide charts the path from understanding online threats to implementing a robust, technology-powered defence. Protecting your brand is an ongoing commitment that pays itself off by protecting your revenue, sustaining customer trust, and a strengthening market position. The journey to a secure brand begins with a clear assessment of your current exposure. 

We invite you to take the next step with a free, no-obligation brand audit. Our experts will scan the web for threats targeting your brand and deliver a personalized report detailing your risks and a clear action plan. Let us help you transform your brand protection from a reactive challenge into a strategic advantage. 

The post Brand Protection 101: Your Basic Brand Protection Guide 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.

Gefälschte TikTok-Konten führen zu Identitätsdiebstahl, Betrug und Markenschäden. Nutzer sollten Nachahmungen oder betrügerische Aktivitäten umgehend über die TikTok-Meldewerkzeuge melden und die Ergebnisse überwachen. Durch proaktive digitale Risikoschutzmaßnahmen lassen sich gefälschte Konten frühzeitig erkennen und reagieren, um Markenreputation und Nutzersicherheit zu schützen.

TikTok dominiert unsere Bildschirme als eine der beliebtesten Social-Media-Plattformen und zieht weltweit Millionen von Nutzern und Marken an. Mit dem Wachstum der Plattform sind gefälschte Konten zu einem ernsthaften Problem geworden, die zu Identitätsnachahmung, Betrug und gefälschten Promotionen führen. Diese Konten können den Ruf schädigen, Nutzer in die Irre führen und sogar persönliche Sicherheit gefährden. Zu wissen, wie man ein gefälschtes TikTok-Konto meldet, ist entscheidend, um sich zu schützen und eine sichere, authentische Plattform zu erhalten. Hier können Sie zudem ein kostenloses TikTok-Imitationsaudit durchführen, um aktive Markenimitierungen zu überprüfen.

Warum gefälschte TikTok-Konten ein ernstes Problem darstellen

Gefälschte Konten können auf TikTok Personen, Influencer oder Marken nachahmen. Manche Konten agieren als Betrug und sammeln persönliche Daten, während andere versuchen, gefälschte Produkte zu verkaufen oder betrügerische Inhalte zu verbreiten. Wenn jemand sich als eine andere Person ausgibt, kann das den Ruf schädigen und Follower in die Irre führen. Für Unternehmen können Fake-Accounts Vertrauen zerstören, Produkte falsch darstellen und Verwirrung bei Kunden stiften. TikTok ermöglicht es Nutzern, diese Konten zu melden, um weiteren Schaden zu verhindern und die Community zu schützen.

Ein Überblick über die Community-Richtlinien für Fake-Accounts auf TikTok

Die Community-Richtlinien von TikTok verbieten Identitätsnachahmung, Betrug und Scam-Aktivitäten. Jedes Konto, das sich als ein anderer Nutzer ausgibt, gefälschte Inhalte veröffentlicht oder betrügerisches Verhalten zeigt, verstößt gegen diese Richtlinien. Wenn Nutzer ein Konto melden, prüft das TikTok-Team den Fall, um zu entscheiden, ob das Konto entfernt werden sollte. TikTok nimmt solche Meldungen ernst, aber Nutzer müssen korrekte Angaben machen, damit die Plattform den Fall effektiv bewerten und entsprechend reagieren kann.

So finden und nutzen Sie die Meldefunktion auf TikTok

Die TikTok-App ermöglicht es, ein gefälschtes Konto direkt zu melden. Gehen Sie dazu auf das Konto, das Sie melden möchten, und tippen Sie auf der Profilseite oben rechts auf die Teilen-Schaltfläche. Wählen Sie dann die Option „Melden“. Die App führt Sie Schritt für Schritt durch den Prozess, um den Grund für die Meldung auszuwählen. Handelt es sich um eine Nachahmung oder betrügerische Aktivitäten, geben Sie dies bitte an. Nutzer können auch unangemessene Inhalte in einem Video melden, indem sie denselben Prozess innerhalb der App nutzen.

Den passenden Meldetyp auswählen

Beim Melden eines Kontos bietet TikTok mehrere Optionen. Handelt es sich um eine Nachahmung, wählen Sie „Identitätsnachahmung“. Betrifft das Problem Betrug, Scam oder gefälschte Inhalte, wählen Sie die entsprechende Kategorie. Bei Konten, die eine Marke nachahmen, müssen möglicherweise zusätzliche Angaben zu Markenrechten oder urheberrechtlich geschützten Inhalten gemacht werden. TikTok ermöglicht es zudem, das Konto gleichzeitig zu blockieren, sodass kein weiterer Kontakt möglich ist, während das Team die Meldung prüft.

Formular für Urheberrechts- oder Markenrechtsverletzungen einreichen

Marken und Creators, die von Identitätsnachahmung oder gefälschten Inhalten betroffen sind, müssen möglicherweise ein Formular für Urheberrechts- oder Markenrechtsverletzungen über die TikTok-Website einreichen. Dabei müssen spezifische Angaben zu Ihrem geistigen Eigentum und dessen missbräuchlicher Nutzung gemacht werden. TikToks Richtlinie stellt sicher, dass nur echte Ansprüche berücksichtigt werden. Präzise Angaben sind entscheidend, wenn Sie ein gefälschtes TikTok-Konto melden. Für Marken ist dies eine der effektivsten Methoden, um ein Konto zu melden, das Marken- oder Urheberrechte verletzt.

Den Status Ihrer TikTok-Meldung verfolgen

Nachdem Sie eine Meldung eingereicht haben, prüft das TikTok-Team das Konto und entscheidet, ob Maßnahmen ergriffen werden müssen. Nutzer werden gegebenenfalls direkt in der App über das Ergebnis informiert. Bei festgestellten Verstößen entfernt TikTok Inhalte oder sperrt das Konto. In einigen Fällen bleibt das Konto aktiv, wenn kein Verstoß festgestellt wird. Die Überwachung Ihrer Meldung sorgt dafür, dass Sie über den Fortschritt informiert bleiben, und Sie können sich jederzeit an den TikTok-Support wenden, falls weiterer Kontakt erforderlich ist.

TikToks Grenzen beim Schutz vor Produktfälschungen verstehen

Obwohl TikTok Werkzeuge zum Melden von gefälschten Konten und gefälschten Inhalten anbietet, gibt es gewisse Einschränkungen. Die Community-Richtlinien erlauben die Entfernung klarer Fälle von Identitätsnachahmung oder Betrug, doch nicht jeder Fall kann sofort gelöst werden. Manche Konten können weiterhin problematisch bleiben, bis weitere Meldungen eingehen oder eine zusätzliche Prüfung erfolgt. Diese Einschränkung bedeutet, dass Nutzer und Marken proaktiv bleiben müssen, um die Sicherheit auf der Plattform zu gewährleisten.

Fake-Account auf TikTok frühzeitig erkennen und überwachen

Sicher auf TikTok zu bleiben erfordert regelmäßiges Monitoring und Aufmerksamkeit. Nutzer sollten aktiv nach Konten suchen, die sich als sie ausgeben, und lernen, gefälschte Aktivitäten zu erkennen. Marken auf TikTok profitieren davon, ein Team oder System zu haben, das Nachahmungen schnell erkennt. Proaktives Monitoring verhindert nicht nur Betrug, sondern hilft auch, das Vertrauen der Follower zu erhalten. Das Aktualisieren der Sicherheitseinstellungen und das Blockieren verdächtiger Konten reduziert zudem Risiken. Viele Organisationen setzen auf Digital Risk Protection-Dienste, die soziale Medien überwachen, betrügerische Konten frühzeitig erkennen und rechtzeitig Warnungen ausgeben, um die Markenreputation zu schützen.

Weitere Maßnahmen zum Schutz Ihrer Marke

Den eigenen Ruf online zu schützen erfordert kontinuierliche Maßnahmen. Sowohl Marken als auch Nutzer sollten die Einstellungen von TikTok nutzen, um unerwünschte Kontakte einzuschränken, verdächtige Konten zu überprüfen und gefälschte Accounts sofort zu melden. Gegebenenfalls kann TikTok direkt kontaktiert werden, insbesondere bei Nachahmungen, die den Ruf gefährden könnten. TikTok ermöglicht es auch, Meldungen im Namen anderer einzureichen, sodass Freunde, Follower und Geschäftspartner unterstützen können. Schnelles Handeln und das Einreichen detaillierter Meldungen trägt dazu bei, die Plattform sicher und authentisch zu halten.

Fazit: Ein gefälschtes TikTok-Konto dauerhaft bekämpfen

Die Kenntnis darüber, wie gefälschte Konten auf TikTok gemeldet werden, zählt zu den wirksamsten Maßnahmen, um die Plattform sicher und geschützt zu halten. Ob als Nutzer zum Schutz der eigenen Identität oder als Marke zur Prävention von Betrug und Fälschungen – sofortiges Handeln unterstützt das TikTok-Team bei der Entfernung schädlicher Accounts. Durch Meldung von Verstößen, Überwachung von Meldungen und proaktives Monitoring verdächtiger Aktivitäten tragen Sie zu einer sicheren Social-Media-Umgebung bei, in der authentische Inhalte gefördert werden.

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Online brand protection isn’t just about detecting infringements: It’s about eliminating them. The proliferation of rogue websites, counterfeit marketplace listings, deceptive mobile apps, and infringing social media accounts is a growing challenge for brand owners. These bad actors exploit the digital ecosystem’s scale and speed to monetize brand equity illegally and erode consumer trust. With the amount of attack surfaces and impersonation tactics on the market, businesses must consider multi-channel brand protection to stay safe online. 

Effective enforcement, meaning permanent takedowns, not just temporary disruption, forms the linchpin of any successful brand protection strategy. With stakes higher than ever, brands need an intelligent, coordinated, and proactive approach to ensure bad actors are not only stopped but kept offline. We’ll break these trends down below to equip your businesses, but you can also get a free brand protection audit right here.

The Expanding Frontier of Digital Threats 

1. Marketplaces: The Counterfeit Playground 

Online marketplaces like Amazon, Alibaba, Mercado Libre, and eBay have democratized commerce. But they’ve also become fertile ground for counterfeiters. These sellers often operate behind layers of anonymity, rapidly launching new listings after old ones are removed. Enforcement efforts that rely solely on whack-a-mole takedowns are inefficient and short-lived. 

2. Social Media: The Weaponization of Trust 

Posts across social platforms – like Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook – increasingly promote and sell counterfeit or infringing goods. Worse, influencers are sometimes co-opted to unwittingly promote fake products. Because these platforms thrive on rapid content creation and virality, infringements spread faster than traditional enforcement can catch.

Social media landscapes vary drastically from region to region and even minute to minute, as consumers scroll through personalized platforms, feeds, and networks. Businesses need a comprehensive multi-channel brand protection approach if they have any hope of detecting and removing infringements from platforms as diverse as TikTok Shop, LinkedIn, and Weibo.

3. Mobile Apps: A Trojan Horse for Infringement 

Rogue mobile apps masquerading as official brand experiences deceive users, phish credentials, or sell counterfeit products directly. Scammers often host these apps on legitimate app stores or sideloaded third-party repositories, making detection and enforcement technically challenging. 

4. Rogue Websites: Persistent and Evasive 

Infringing websites use lookalike domains, brand impersonation, and SEO manipulation to divert traffic from legitimate sites. Many are supported by affiliate marketing schemes or exploit loopholes in domain registries to reappear under different names after takedown. 

The Missing Link: Coordinated and Permanent Multi-Channel Brand Protection Enforcement 

Detection without enforcement is like diagnosing a disease without treatment. 

Temporary removals may provide short-term relief, but they do little to deter sophisticated infringers. The ultimate goal must be permanent suspension – the removal of not just the content, but the infrastructure that supports repeat offenses. 

Effective enforcement should include: 

• Cross-platform intelligence: Linking social accounts to marketplace listings and rogue domains through shared infrastructure (IP, email, wallets). 

• Root-cause targeting: Focusing on operators behind the infringement, not just their output. 

• Automated yet customized enforcement workflows: Scalable and tactical action plans tailored to each platform’s reporting mechanisms. 

• Escalation frameworks: Legal escalation, registrar complaints, and law enforcement referrals where necessary. 

Enforcement That Lasts: The New Standard in Multi-Channel Brand Protection

Digital brand protection must evolve from a reactive checklist to a resilient strategy. Brands can no longer afford to treat takedowns as victories – they must treat non-recurrence as the true success metric. That means embracing technology, building partnerships with platforms and registrars, and investing in holistic enforcement workflows. 

At EBRAND, we’re setting a new standard for digital enforcement – where bad actors don’t just hide, they disappear. 

Ready to Protect What You’ve Built? 

The future of brand protection belongs to those who act decisively today. If you’re ready to move beyond takedowns and toward permanent solutions, get in touch with EBRAND. Let’s build a brand defense strategy that doesn’t just fight infringements – it ends them. Start now with a free business brand protection audit.

The post Why Multi-Channel Brand Protection is No Longer Optional    appeared first on EBRAND.

These rogue websites exist solely to steal credentials, drain bank accounts, and trick unsuspecting employees, consumers, and partners. They erode trust, devastate brands, and inflict massive financial losses.  

In this guide, we’ll dissect the top five tactics to target US businesses with fake webpages. You can also check which rogue websites are spoofing your organization for free right here.

What Exactly is a Rogue Website? 

The term “Rogue websites” covers malicious and fraudulent web pages that impersonate legitimate brands, services, or individuals. Websites go rogue when cybercriminals exploit lax domain registration processes to secure deceptive URLs (e.g., amaz0n-support.com or microsoft-security-alert.net). They use tactics like typosquatting (common misspellings), homograph attacks (using similar-looking characters), and hijacked subdomains to secure deceptive infrastructure. Once registered, they build their fake pages with nuanced and specific strategies to trick their targets. These strategies often look like fake shops that imitate retailers or fake login pages to impersonate banks. Increasingly, they’re so effective in their impersonations that even digital authorities like ICANN can no longer tell which is which. 

Cybercriminals dress their rogue websites in stolen logos, brand colors, and AI-generated copy that mirrors legitimate communications. Deceptive landing pages often leverage SSL certificates (showing the „padlock“ icon) to appear secure, exploiting user trust. Once live, they slowly and steadily implement scams and cybercrimes like fraud, counterfeiting, and data theft.  

Below, we’ll outline the five most common and most dangerous rogue website use cases.  

Tactic 1: Fake Login Pages + Phishing Emails 

The most devastating rogue website attacks occur right at the start of your digital journey: your inbox and your login page. Attackers deploy deceptive pages that mimic login portals across the internet. They spoof customer login pages, and internal platforms like VPN access or payroll systems. Crucially, scammers stack their assets to maximize their impact. Hosting an email server and a rogue website on the same domain, and promoting the page with the relevant email, creates a brutally effective attack.  

Hosting customer accounts and colleague services unlocks all kinds of business benefits. Many companies run these kinds of login pages for security and control. However, they often neglect their potential as an attack surface. Scammers recently hosted fake login pages for platforms like Netflix that were so convincing that authorities had to step in.   

A single compromised credential can lead to data breaches, ransomware, and regulatory penalties. Armed with the latest high-powered and out-of-the-box phish kits like Darcula 3.0, amateur and organized cybercriminals alike have your infrastructure in their sights. Secure organizations must take steps to detect suspicious domains, especially those lookalike pages and active mail servers.  

Tactic 2: Promotions & Product Launches on Rogue Websites

Scammers exploit the hype around product drops, sales, or investments by creating rogue websites that impersonate well-known brands. Worse, they impersonate CEOs and celebrities on social media to leverage big names and lucrative reputations. Fake tweets or LinkedIn posts drive traffic to scam sites selling nonexistent products, „exclusive“ NFTs, or fraudulent investments. These rogue websites use polished designs, fake countdown timers, and stolen media to appear authentic.  

One scam follows another in these cases, compounding their impact in a cybercrime cascade. For example, this year, scammers impersonated a famous economist’s Twitter account. Their malicious campaign then tweeted a link to an entirely spoofed newspaper website. On the website, they hosted a detailed and persuasive article promoting a new cryptocurrency in the media outlet’s name. While platforms eventually remove these kinds of scams and impersonations, organizations must take their own action when it comes to removing the rogue website at the root of the problem.  

Within the broader issue of phishing, VIP impersonation runs rampant. Exploring VIP and Executive Protection solutions also helps organizations secure their online footprint, and protect their clients as well as their business leaders.  

Tactic 3: Fake Online Stores Exploiting Events 

Fake shops and counterfeit websites represent one of the most common rogue website threats for any brand selling products online. Whether you’re in food and beverages, luxury fashion, or auto parts, fake shop scammers can undercut your margins and trick your clients at every turn. Fraudulent sites impersonate legitimate stores, offering „too-good-to-be-true“ discounts, exclusive launches, or liquidation sales. While they operate year-round, these scams seem to grab headlines during ecommerce surges like shopping seasons and major brand announcements, preying on urgency and consumer trust.  

For example, when craft retailer Joann faced financial struggles, scammers launched rogue websites posing as official „going-out-of-business“ sales, tricking customers into entering payment details for non-existent products.  

 Similarly, during a recent holiday season, cybercriminals flooded search engines with fake online stores advertising „last-minute deals“ on hot-ticket items like gaming consoles and designer goods, only to steal credit card details or never ship orders.  

Beyond financial losses, fake shops inflict severe brand damage, eroding consumer trust and flooding the market with counterfeit goods. They also violate intellectual property laws by illegally using trademarks, copyrighted images, and brand names.  

Tactic 4: Fake Support Pages on Rogue Websites

Nearly every business needs support teams, and scammers know it. Cybercriminals build rogue websites mimicking essential teams like IT support, helplines, or account management. Using stolen contact lists from breaches or dark web sales, they blast emails and communication channels with messages like these: „Your account is locked! Click here to restore access.“ Victims land on fake support pages, where „agents“ demand remote access or payment for „services.“  

SecurityWeek recently reported that these kinds of scams targeted all kinds of large US companies, from Apple to Bank of America. Ultimately, rogue website scams impersonating support teams absolutely demolish customer trust. Detecting and tracking rogue websites that impersonate any kind of support channel thereby creates an important foundation for your business relations and recurring revenue.  

Tactic 5: Rogue Supply Chain & Partner Portals 

Partnerships and reseller ecosystems take growth strategies to the next level, but they also expose some concerning vulnerabilities to rogue website attacks. Attackers impersonate trusted partners like suppliers, resellers, marketing agencies, or recruiters with fake websites portals for invoices, contracts, and project updates.   

In one recent scheme, scammers sent convincing phishing emails posing as Meta recruiters, directing victims to fraudulent domains where they were pressured into paying for „background checks“ or „training fees.“ The scam was highly coordinated, leveraging Meta’s reputation to exploit job seekers’ trust.  

The consequences extend far beyond financial loss. Fake recruitment portals erode trust in corporate hiring processes. For businesses, the solution requires more than reactive takedowns. These threats demand continuous domain monitoring, strict third-party verification protocols, and employee training to recognize these sophisticated deceptions.  

Conclusion: Don’t Let Rogue Websites Win 

To summarize, we’ve seen that these scams all use multi-channel, multimedia attacks to launch their rogue website campaign. When scams blend fake sites with email, social media, and even deepfakes, we must take a comprehensive approach to fighting back. It takes just one person clicking a link for these scams to strike. One distracted employee, customer, or partner can trigger financial loss, data theft, or reputational ruin.  

With the right strategy, you can hunt down impersonating domains, social accounts, and apps. Discover if your brand is being exploited right now with a Free Rogue Websites Audit. Our team will scan for impersonating domains, along with fake social profiles, and app store clones targeting your business. Protect your revenue, reputation, and customers today. 

The post Rogue Websites: The Top Five Most Dangerous Website Scams appeared first on EBRAND.

This guide dives deep into PPC brand protection, detailing strategies to shield your revenue and your reputation from online scammers. We examine why cybercriminals target paid ads, how even authorized resellers can turn rogue, and practical methods to detect impersonators across platforms. You can also get a free PPC brand protection audit right here.

How to Protect your Brand Across PPC Channels 

PPC brand protection means preventing unauthorized or malicious use of your brand in paid ads online. Ad channel brand protection tactics safeguard your intellectual property across platforms like Google Ads and Meta, encompassing Facebook and Instagram. With 65% of mid-sized companies leveraging PPC marketing, these platforms deliver immense value, but also attract sophisticated fraudsters.  

Scammers deploy calculated tactics to exploit your brand value. They bid on your exact brand keywords, pushing legitimate ads below counterfeit listings in search results. Leveraging powerful technical tools like CDNs, they also create fake websites with AI-generated text and stolen visuals, replicating your login pages to harvest credentials. These operations span search engines and social platforms, with Facebook and Instagram as prime targets for phishing schemes. Financial institutions, ecommerce brands, and tech companies face the highest risk due to their large customer bases.  

Why Scammers Attack Brands Through PPC 

Cybercriminals focus on PPC because it ambushes consumers during their most vulnerable moments. When users research products, they actively seek solutions. Scammers position fake promotions atop these results, intercepting traffic meant for legitimate brands.  

These scams thrive within trusted environments. On Instagram or Facebook, fraudulent ads blend seamlessly between family photos and friend updates. Users lower their guard when seeing familiar logos or „limited-time deals,“ unaware they’re entering payment details on cloned pages. The illusion of credibility proves devastating; a fake ad bearing Google’s logo or a „Verified“ badge tricks victims into submitting sensitive data before redirecting to polished phishing sites. Without any kinds of PPC brand protection tactics, the malicious campaigns appear, strike, and disappear before they even show up on the brand owner’s radar. 

Beyond Scammers: The Hidden Threat of Rogue Resellers 

While impersonators pose grave dangers, authorized partners can also undermine your PPC strategy. Consider, for example, that 95% of Microsoft’s revenue flows through its partner network. Legitimate resellers help brands break into new markets and drive sales. The affiliate marketing industry alone surged from $27.8 billion in 2023 to $32.3 billion in 2024, accounting for 6.25% of global e-commerce sales.  

That being said, this ecosystem also creates serious vulnerabilities. Some affiliates hijack your brand keywords, bidding on terms like „YourBrand + discount“ to claim commissions for sales you would’ve made organically. Unauthorized sellers flood markets with counterfeit PPC campaigns, confusing customers with inferior products and undercutting prices. Without PPC brand protection, you lose control over pricing, messaging, and customer experience across your global markets.  

Business Cases for Protecting your Brand Against PPC Abuse

Besides simply tackling scammers and enforcing your IP, PPC brand protection delivers concrete benefits for organizations across industries. Let’s look at the mechanics of pay-per-click advertising: Each bid, and each competitor, raises the costs for each paid search term. Therefore, PPC brand abuse directly drains your marketing budget, by artificially inflating your key terms. Fraudulent advertisers bidding on your branded keywords force you to compete against impersonators, throwing money down the drain while losing out on traffic.

Compounding this waste of resources, scammers aggressively exploit paid advertising channels on lesser-known intermediary search engines, platforms often eager to take their revenue but less diligent in policing fraud upfront. This means your marketing budget potentially funds clicks that divert your customers to fake sites or competitors through these channels.

A lot of brand protection can be quite abstract and hard to trace the ROI in the short term. PPC brand protection presents the exception: Costs come down, malicious ad campaigns with thousands of impressions disappear from the internet, and your legitimate PPC pipeline enjoys a real boost. That being said, let’s get into the details about how to get started and protect your brand from PPC piracy.

How to Protect your Brand Across PPC Channels

Smaller brands often take a practical but limited approach to patrolling their channels for PPC brand protection: simply searching, and seeing what comes up. Marketing teams can search brand keywords daily on Google and Bing, adding modifiers like „login“ or „coupon“ to uncover impersonators. Each suspicious landing page requires meticulous inspection for subtle typos in domains, such as „YourBrandd[.]com“ instead of your authentic URL. This process typically consumes hours or days every week, while missing the vast majority of the fake ads. Even when you detect one, the flagging, tracking, and takedown processes require the same time investment all over again.

Automated Online Brand Protection platforms deliver scalable solutions. These tools integrate directly with Google Ads and Meta Ads data feeds, continuously scanning global campaigns. You configure your protected assets, like logos, product images, slogans, and keywords, enabling AI algorithms to detect infringements across thousands of ads hourly. Advanced systems rank threats by severity, track repeat offenders, and streamline takedowns for rapid and effective resolution.

Conclusions: Get Started with PPC Brand Protection

PPC brand protection is non-negotiable in today’s adversarial digital landscape. Scammers exploit paid channels to steal revenue and erode trust, while rogue affiliates divert hard-won conversions. Proactive monitoring combined with automated enforcement lets brands secure their advertising real estate, protect customers, and preserve market integrity.  

Begin your defense with a free PPC brand protection audit. Our experts scan your branded keywords across Google, Meta, and more, identifying active threats and impersonators. You’ll receive a prioritized action plan within 48 hours, with no obligations.  

What is PPC brand protection? From fake adds and cyberscammers to rogue resellers and phishing pages, find out how to protect your brand.

The post What is PPC Brand Protection? appeared first on EBRAND.

AI should deliver value. Beyond creating shiny marketing material, let’s explore some real use cases with practical and measurable benefits for your brand. Let’s also explore Deep Vision, EBRAND’s new AI-powered detection engine that brings clarity to online brand protection. This isn’t just another image recognition tool. As we’ll discuss, Deep Vision combines optical character recognition (OCR), contextual analysis, and feature matching to find what others miss. Whether it’s a counterfeit listing with your logo removed or a second-hand sale pretending to be new, Deep Vision sees through it—and lets you act. 

1. Optical Character Recognition (OCR): Reading what others miss 

Online listings don’t always include obvious brand names or trademarks. Counterfeiters strip logos from images, or crop photos just enough to avoid detection. An effective OCR engine scans inside image and reads embedded text, using AI contextual analysis to detect evasive infringements. With Deep Vision’s recognition engine, your searches deliver results, even when the logo or the text isn’t indexed or immediately visible. This means you can find infringements that traditional keyword systems completely overlook. 

With Deep Vision, if someone removes your logo from a box but leaves clues in the background, we’ll spot it. Our OCR doesn’t just read—it interprets context. That gives your enforcement team a decisive edge. 

2. Context-aware AI: Find your product without the keywords 

A plush toy listed as “soft animal” might never show up in your old keyword-based systems. But Deep Vision understands context. Its AI models detect products based on sentiment, texture, and object-level features—not just metadata. 

Search for “purple plush toy,” and Deep Vision will show you images that match that concept, even if the title says nothing of the sort. It bridges the gap between what a product looks like and how it’s described, making detection more human—and more effective. 

3. Image uploads: Match products, no matter the angle 

Brand owners can now upload images of their own products into Deep Vision. The system then scans online listings to detect visual matches, even if the orientation, lighting, or background has changed. 

This is especially powerful when counterfeiters slightly adjust images to avoid detection. Unlike basic reverse image tools, Deep Vision looks deeper, recognizing a product even when it’s been flipped, rotated, or edited. 

4. Segmentation: Focus on what matters 

Sometimes you don’t need to match a whole image—you just need to check the logo placement, or packaging style. Deep Vision’s segmentation tool lets you highlight a region within an image as your reference point. That region then becomes the focus of the search. 

This feature feeds into a broader risk scoring mechanism, helping your team prioritize high-risk matches and act quickly. It’s precise. It’s fast. And it’s powered by AI tuned for enforcement. 

5. Multilingual search: AI without translation gaps 

Traditionally, you needed to translate keywords into dozens of languages to cover global marketplaces like eBay or AliBaba. Deep Vision changes that. It supports image and context-based detection across languages, letting you search in one language and still surface relevant listings everywhere. 

For brand protection teams spread across regions, this means massive time savings—and stronger global coverage. 

6. Categorisation by product type and condition 

Counterfeits aren’t just new. They’re often disguised as “used,” or resold as “refurbished.” Deep Vision uses AI to detect visual signals that indicate whether a product is new, used, or repackaged—based solely on image data. 

That insight is crucial when enforcing resale policies or tackling grey market activity. You can now distinguish between a legitimate used listing and a counterfeit falsely labelled as pre-owned. 

7. Advanced image similarity: Beyond basic matching 

Deep Vision’s image similarity engine goes well beyond reverse search. It compares uploaded images using dense vector models that assess structure, shape, and visual features on multiple levels. 

This allows for detection of items that look similar—even when they aren’t exact copies. We combine smart feature matching technology to give you a fuller picture of infringing activity. For spotting subtle copycats or near-duplicates, this AI system leads the pack. 

8. Integration with cybersecurity and risk protection 

Deep Vision doesn’t work in isolation. It feeds data into our ARGOS platform, linking visual detections with keyword signals, domain intelligence, and identity strings. We blend this data with insights from our Digital Risk Protection platform to match brand variations and string deviations—closing the loop between visual, textual, and behavioural signals. 

The result is a smarter, more comprehensive brand protection system, that’ll deliver the insights you need to detect and eliminate online infringements.

Conclusions: Turning AI into valuable brand protection 

Too many providers talk about AI like it’s magic. We don’t. We show you what it can do in real terms—and then we use it to solve real problems. Deep Vision is designed to pull AI out of the black box and put it in your hands. 

Want to see what it actually does? We’ll show you. 

You’ve now seen the tactics, and the tools. Deep Vision is live, and already uncovering threats other systems miss. It’s time to apply this technology to your brand. We’ll start with a free audit —powered by Deep Vision—and explore exactly how counterfeiters are targeting your products online. 

Let’s expose them, together. 

The post Deep Vision: How AI Changes the Online Brand Protection Game appeared first on EBRAND.

As Ayrton Senna, one of the greatest drivers in Formula 1 history, famously said: “You cannot overtake 15 cars in sunny weather… but you can when it’s raining.”

Right now, we’re in the rain. From geopolitical instability and inflation to shifting trade rules and tariffs, supply chain bottlenecks, and rising cyber threats, the global business climate is anything but stable. Due to economic pressures, consumers make an effort to look for best bargains and more often consider buying counterfeits or look-alikes. And in that instability lies opportunity – for brands that stay visible, vigilant, and protected.

The high cost of doing nothing – or of doing too little

When counterfeiters, scammers, and bad actors become more active during downturns, the greatest risk isn’t action – it’s inaction. And that risk is no longer theoretical.

According to the EUIPO, counterfeit spirits and wine alone account for more than €1.3 billion in lost annual sales across the EU. That’s 3.3% of the sector’s entire revenue base – without even considering imports or losses from counterfeiting in non – EU markets. Add in broader impacts on the economy and government revenue, and the total climbs to €3 billion in losses and over 23,000 jobs affected. And this is just one industry.

Across sectors – from electronics to fashion, from pharmaceuticals to cosmetics – the share of counterfeits can reach up to or sometimes more than 10% of the total market. These aren’t isolated incidents. They’re part of vast, coordinated criminal networks operating across marketplaces, social media, and private messaging platforms.

Doing nothing doesn’t protect your brand. It invites erosion  –  of revenue, reputation, and trust.

How protecting brands helps grow your business

In uncertain times, the best brands don’t just hold the line – they double down on clarity, control, and customer trust. At EBRAND, we help companies take that step forward with an integrated approach to brand protection, digital risk monitoring, and domain management.

It’s not about reaction. It’s about strategy.

Our Online Brand Protection platform, powered by ARGOS, goes far beyond simple takedowns. We conduct deep – dive investigations into large – scale infringement operations – identifying clusters of counterfeit sellers, uncovering patterns, and connecting the dots across websites, seller accounts, and even logistics networks. This lets our clients target the source, not just the symptoms.

Rather than chasing thousands of low-level sellers, we’re protecting brands by focusing on the real damage: the repeat offenders, the large – scale counterfeit networks, and the organized operators behind global revenue loss.

We work closely with legal teams, platforms, and local enforcement authorities to bring meaningful enforcement action – not just delisting, but sustained disruption.

Digital risk is business risk

Meanwhile, the digital threat landscape is becoming increasingly aggressive – and increasingly invisible.

With our Digital Risk Protection solution X-RAY, EBRAND scans the surface web, deep web, and dark web for threats that impact brand reputation, consumer safety, and executive security. That includes phishing sites, impersonation attacks, leaked credentials, and fraud rings operating across encrypted platforms like Telegram or private Discord servers.

What sets our approach apart is contextual intelligence. Instead of flagging isolated threats, we identify relationships – clusters of phishing campaigns, coordinated misinformation attacks, or impersonation activity that spans channels. You get real – time alerts, clear attribution, and the ability to prioritize threats that matter most to your business and your customers.

Owning the digital front line

It’s easy to overlook your domain portfolio when budgets are tight. But for many brands, their domain strategy is the first line of defense – and a critical asset that underpins global operations.

Our Corporate Domain Management service gives businesses the structure and oversight needed to secure digital perimeters. That means consolidating domain holdings across markets, protecting against DNS hijacking, and monitoring for abuse at scale. In an environment where impersonation and cybersquatting can spark brand and legal crises overnight, these aren’t IT tasks – they’re business – critical.

We also support clients during M&A, product launches, and geographic expansion to ensure their digital assets reflect their strategy – securely and efficiently.

Overtaking in the rain: Protecting brands in market turmoil

The real opportunity of tough times isn’t in playing defense – it’s in playing smarter. While others hesitate, resilient brands invest in visibility, resilience, and control. And when the market rebounds, they’re already in front.

At EBRAND, we help businesses take the lead in protecting brands when others are just trying to stay on track:

• By monitoring risk across the visible and invisible web with real – time intelligence
• By investigating complex infringement networks and removing them at the root
• By defending digital territory with comprehensive, global solutions, supported by local experts

The brands that will grow in the next decade are those who protect what matters – not when the skies clear, but while the storm is still overhead.

The post „You can when it’s raining“ – Protecting brands in market turmoil appeared first on EBRAND.

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.

Doch dieses rasante Wachstum bringt erhebliche Risiken für Marken mit sich. Von Produktfälschungen und gefälschten Listings über betrügerische CEO-Impersonationen bis hin zu Werbebetrug – das schnelllebige Umfeld des TikTok Shops hat sich zu einem Nährboden für betrügerische Aktivitäten entwickelt. In diesem Blogbeitrag beleuchten wir die Risiken für Marken auf TikTok Shop, die gängigsten Betrugsmethoden auf der Plattform und zeigen konkrete Maßnahmen zum Schutz Ihrer Marke und Verbraucher.

Was ist TikTok Shop?

TikTok Shop ist eine Social-Commerce-Plattform, auf der Nutzer Produkte direkt in der TikTok-App entdecken und kaufen können. Seit dem Launch in den USA gewann die Plattform rasch an Beliebtheit – laut Bloomberg-Berichten gab es Ende 2023 bereits über 500.000 angemeldete Händler. Das System lebt von Influencer-Marketing, trendbasierten Inhalten und nahtlosen Kaufabwicklungen, was es besonders für junge Zielgruppen attraktiv macht. Tatsächlich kaufen 44% der TikTok-Nutzer direkt auf der Plattform ein – ein deutlich höherer Wert als bei anderen Social-Media-Kanälen in den USA.

Natürlich ist TikTok Shop nicht nur auf den US-Markt beschränkt. Britische Nutzer konnten die integrierten Shopping-Funktionen bereits 2023 nutzen – noch vor dem offiziellen EU-Start in Irland. Seither expandierte die Plattform weiter, eroberte den spanischen Markt und legte den Grundstein für ihre Europa-Strategie.

Mit der kürzlichen Markteinführung in Deutschland wird es für Markenschutzexperten immer wichtiger, ihre Strategien an diese dynamische Entwicklung anzupassen. Besonders bemerkenswert: TikTok veröffentlicht bereits jetzt Commerce-Stellenanzeigen in Amsterdam, Paris und Mailand – alles Märkte, in denen der Shop noch nicht aktiv ist. Ein klares Signal, dass die Expansion in ganz Europa geplant ist.

Dieses ungleichmäßige Wachstum stellt Marken und Markenmanager vor enorme Herausforderungen. TikTok Shop setzt in verschiedenen Märkten Millionen von Käufern frei – mal hier, mal dort – über ein sich ständig wandelndes Partnernetzwerk, das sich in alarmierendem Tempo verändert. Diese Dynamik und Fluktuation erschwert es, Betrugsfälle und Markenrechtsverletzungen überhaupt zu erkennen, geschweige denn sie zu entfernen.

Die Risiken von TikTok Shop: Betrugsmaschen gegen Marken und Verbraucher

Das explosive Wachstum von TikTok Shop übertrifft regelmäßig die Fähigkeit der Plattform, betrügerische Aktivitäten wirksam zu regulieren. Das hohe Tempo und die Neuartigkeit des Phänomens erschweren zudem langfristige Forschungen zu Betrugsrisiken für Marken. Dennoch zeigen aktuelle Berichte und Erfahrungsberichte mehrere alarmierende Trends auf.

Produktfälschungen und gefälschte Produktlistings: Die wachsende Bedrohung im TikTok Shop

Gefälschte Produkte zählen zu den größten Problemen auf TikTok Shop. Betrüger nutzen den Ruf etablierter Marken, um Fälschungen zu verkaufen – oft zu Preisen weit unter dem empfohlenen Verkaufspreis. Besonders alarmierend: Diese Produkte umgehen Gesundheitsvorschriften, Arbeitsrechte und Umweltauflagen, was weltweit erheblichen Schaden verursacht.

Im Beauty- und Wellnessbereich wird das Gesundheitsrisiko besonders deutlich, wo gefälschte Kosmetika, Vitamine oder Parfüms ernsthafte Gefahren darstellen. Laut Forbes entfallen 81% der TikTok-Shop-Verkäufe in den USA auf diese Kategorien – was bedeutet, dass potenziell schädliche Fälschungen in direkten Kontakt mit Verbrauchern kommen.

CEO Betrug auf TikTok Shop: Wenn sich Fälscher als Markenchefs ausgeben

KI-generierte Deepfakes und Identitätsbetrug nehmen zu – Betrüger nutzen gefälschte Videos von CEOs oder Markenvertretern, um Verbraucher zu täuschen. In einem besonders erschütternden Fall verloren ein Ehepaar ihr gesamtes Erspartes (Zehntausende Dollar) durch einen TikTok-Shop-Betrug mit gefälschten Promi-Empfehlungen.

Diese Betrugsmethoden schaden nicht nur Verbrauchern, sondern auch Markenimage und -wert.Mehr über Identitätsdiebstahl und die Rolle von Gesichtserkennung auf Social Media finden Sie in unserem Leitfaden zu Markenbetrug.

Werbe-Betrug und gefälschte Social-Media-Netzwerke: Die dunkle Seite des TikTok Shops

Betrüger erschaffen ganze Netzwerke gefälschter Social-Media-Accounts und Anzeigen, um Marken zu imitieren und deren Kundenstamm abzuschöpfen. Besonders verheerend wirken sich diese Falschanzeigen während umsatzstarker Shopping-Events wie Black Friday aus – wenn Verbraucher häufig impulsive Kaufentscheidungen treffen.

Wie Marken sich auf TikTok Shop schützen können

Schutz Ihrer Marke auf TikTok Shop erfordert einen proaktiven, mehrdimensionalen Ansatz.
Hier stellen wir drei bewährte Strategien vor, mit denen Marken Verbraucher schützen und ihre E-Commerce-Umsätze sichern können:

Systematische Plattformüberwachung

Marken sollten TikTok Shop aktiv nach gefälschten Angeboten, irreführender Werbung und unbefugter Nutzung ihres geistigen Eigentums durchsuchen. Zwar bleibt manuelle Überwachung eine Option, doch erfordert sie erheblichen Zeit- und Ressourcenaufwand. Da Betrüger ihre Methoden ständig anpassen, ist es entscheidend, dass Marken regelmäßige Überprüfungen durchführen und wachsam gegenüber neuen Bedrohungen bleiben.

Löschungsanträge einreichen

Wenn Marken Rechtsverletzungen identifizieren, sollten sie Löschungsanträge direkt an TikTok stellen. Allerdings kann der Durchsetzungsprozess der Plattform aufgrund der hohen Menge an Inhalten, Nutzern und Transaktionen langsam sein. Marken müssen daher konsequente Überwachung und schnelle Meldungen implementieren, um Markenschäden zu minimieren. Verzögerungen ermöglichen es Fälschern, weiterhin nicht autorisierte Produkte zu verkaufen, was Verbraucher gefährdet und E-Commerce-Umsätze schmälert.

Nutzung von Online-Markenschutzlösungen

Um die Durchsetzung zu verbessern und ihre eigenen Teams von manuellen Erkennungs- und Durchsetzungsmaßnahmen zu entlasten, setzen Marken auch auf Online-Markenschutz. Diese Lösungen automatisieren Erkennungstools, um betrügerische Angebote zu identifizieren und zu verfolgen. Effektiver Online-Markenschutz gewährleistet schnelles Handeln auf TikTok Shop und anderen digitalen Plattformen. Durch den Einsatz skalierbarer Durchsetzungslösungen können Marken unbefugte Verkäufer effizient entfernen, das Verbrauchervertrauen schützen und zukünftige Verstöße abschrecken.

Da TikTok Shop in neue Märkte expandiert, müssen Marken ihre Online-Schutzstrategien verstärken, um den neuen Risiken zu begegnen. Gefälschte Angebote, irreführende Werbung und nicht autorisierte Verkäufer können den Ruf einer Marke schnell beschädigen und Verbraucher täuschen. Doch effektiver Markenschutz geht über die bloße Überwachung und Durchsetzung von Rechtsverletzungen auf TikTok Shop hinaus.

TikTok Shop und Ihre Online-Markenschutzstrategie

Eine umfassende Strategie muss ein breites Spektrum digitaler Bedrohungen abdecken. Mit der Argos-Plattform von EBRAND beispielsweise erhalten Sie Erkennungs- und Löschungsmöglichkeiten für TikTok Shop, Instagram und Facebook. Zudem behalten Sie den Überblick über Fälschungsverkäufe auf E-Commerce-Marktplätzen wie eBay, Amazon und AliExpress.

Fälschungen und betrügerische Markenrechtsverletzungen verbreiten sich auch über gefälschte Online-Shops und Marktplätze. Daher benötigen Marken auch hier Erkenntnisse und Handlungsmöglichkeiten. Mit Argos können Sie betrügerische Einkaufswebsites überwachen, die offizielle Stores nachahmen, sowie nicht autorisierte mobile Apps im App Store und bei Google Play – sogar videobasierte Betrugsmaschen auf YouTube. Durch einen mehrkanaligen Ansatz können Marken Bedrohungen proaktiv erkennen und bekämpfen, wo immer sie auftreten, und so einen durchgängigen Schutz in der gesamten digitalen Landschaft gewährleisten.

Abschließende Betrachtung

TikTok Shop bietet Marken enorme Chancen, um mit Verbrauchern in Kontakt zu treten, birgt aber auch erhebliche Risiken. Durch Wachsamkeit und den Einsatz der richtigen Tools können Sie Ihre Marke und die Verbraucher vor Betrug und Rechtsverletzungen schützen.

Möchten Sie wissen, ob Ihre Marke auf TikTok Shop im Visier steht? Holen Sie sich noch heute ein kostenloses Brand-Audit und machen Sie den ersten Schritt zum Schutz Ihres Rufs.

The post TikTok Shop Betrug: Die neue Gefahr für Marken appeared first on EBRAND.