Even the biggest brands in the world miss opportunities when it comes to domains, even companies like Google and McDonald’s. As the internet expands, we’ve all got to be ready for the next digital land grab. ICANN’s next round of New Generic Top-Level Domains (gTLDs) is set to go live in April 2026, so a surge of applications will flood the system. For established brands, this presents a critical vulnerability: The risk is that a third party applies for and secures a gTLD that is identical or confusingly similar to your valuable trademark. In this high-stakes environment, brands must develop an objection handling strategy, to meet infringements as soon as they arise. Your ability to effectively contest an infringing application can determine whether you control your brand’s destiny online or lose it to a rival actor. 

Here, we’ll navigate the upcoming gTLD cycle, so you’re prepared for any eventuality. This guide delves into the specifics of the Legal Rights Objection (LRO), your primary mechanism for objection handling. We will also clarify the critical distinction between Community and Brand applications, to lay the foundations for your objection strategy. The WIPO are now a major player in ICANN’s processes so we’ll clarify their role, and explain what their involvement means for your brand. Finally, we will explore the proactive side of the equation, securing your own .BRAND domain. You can also learn more about the strategic benefits of a .BRAND and how to leverage it, right here.

Understanding Objections: The Core of Objection Handling

If a third party applies for a gTLD string that conflicts with your registered trademark, you do not have to stand by and let it happen. All sensible brands implement a monitoring system around their trademarks for infringing registrations, so why not use a similar strategy for domains, another crucially important asset for your ecommerce? ICANN’s New gTLD Program includes a defense mechanism known as the Legal Rights Objection (LRO). This pre-delegation objection process forms the basis of ICANN’s formal objection handling. It allows you to challenge the application before the new domain extension is approved and goes live. This proactive measure forms the most cost-effective and strategic approach to protecting your IP from DotBrand infringements. Beyond that, you can also try to limit possible negative effects after the DotBrand in question has been launched. 

Filing a successful LRO requires you to demonstrate that the potential use of the applied-for gTLD by the applicant would be likely to infringe upon your established legal rights. An independent panel will evaluate the objection based on several factors. These factors include the strength and recognition of your trademark, whether the applicant has any legitimate rights or affiliation with the string, the applicant’s intent in applying for the gTLD, and whether the proposed gTLD would impair the distinctiveness or reputation of your brand. Nothing is set in stone, but there are serious talks about having the application round on a permanent basis, so it’s worth establishing your strategies before the landscape develops. A well-documented objection, backed by robust evidence of your trademark’s reach and goodwill, forms the bedrock of a successful objection handling strategy against an infringing application. 

Strategic Objection Handling: Community vs. Brand Applications

Effective objection handling means understanding the distinction between a Community-based application and a Standard application for gTLDs. This distinction fundamentally shapes the way that you’ll present your arguments. 

A Community Application is filed by an organization representing a clearly delineated group or sector, with social or commercial interests. The applicant must provide evidence for the gTLD’s community support, and prove that gTLD benefits that specific group. Examples from the previous round include .BANK, for the banking community, and .ECO for green and environmentalist movements. These applications receive priority from ICANN, and enjoyed a smooth registration process. If two entities apply for the same string, a community application will prevail over a standard application, provided it meets all the criteria. 

On the other hand, commercial entities file Standard or Brand Applications for a string that represents its brand, such as .APPLE or .GOOGLE. These cases require no evidence for representing or benefitting the broader community. With standard, .BRAND domains, organizations establish them to control a digital namespace and expand the company’s identity online. 

Your approach to objection handling must adapt to each type of application, now that you know the difference. If you are a brand and an organization applies for your brand name as a community gTLD, your objection would focus on the lack of a legitimate community nexus and the resulting consumer confusion. On the other hand, if another commercial entity applies for your brand name, your LRO argument centers squarely on trademark infringement and the absence of the applicant’s rights to the string. 

The Role of WIPO in Objection Handling: The Exclusive Arbiter

ICANN appointed the WIPO as the exclusive provider for resolving disputes their upcoming round of gTLD applications. As a UN agency, WIPO, or the World Intellectual Property Organization, work to establish an international IP system, making them the choice partner for ICANN’s requirements. 

ICANN selected WIPO due to its unparalleled expertise and two-decade-long track record in resolving domain name disputes through the Uniform Domain-Name Dispute-Resolution Policy (UDRP). WIPO maintains the institutional knowledge, the global panel of neutral legal experts, and the established procedures to handle the complex, high-stakes nature of gTLD objections fairly and efficiently. For brands, this means that any LRO you file will be adjudicated by a WIPO-appointed panel with deep experience in international trademark law and domain name conflicts. This provides a significant level of trust and predictability in the objection handling process. As WIPO itself states, it will publish detailed guidelines and resources as the next application round finalizes, making it essential for brands to monitor their updates closely. 

The .BRAND Imperative

Beyond playing defense, the new gTLD round is a call to action for brand offense. Securing your own .BRAND domain is a powerful move that renders defensive objection handling for that string unnecessary. In the last round, forward-thinking companies, from international retail chains to world-renowned auto firms, successfully navigated the application process. The benefits they unlocked are substantial. 

A .BRAND domain creates a secure and controlled digital ecosystem. It enhances brand authenticity, as every website under your .BRAND, from news.brand to careers.brand, is instantly verified and trusted by customers. These digital assets deliver powerful new marketing opportunities, allowing for concise, memorable URLs for specific campaigns. They also provide a definitive answer to cybersquatting at the top-level, eliminating the risk of yourbrand.sucks or other defensive registrations at the second level. 

However, the pioneers also revealed a common pitfall: a lack of imagination and follow-through. Some brands invested heavily in acquiring their .BRAND but failed to integrate it into their core digital strategy. The result was an underutilized asset, with the domain acting as a mere redirect to the existing .com site or, worse, lying completely dormant. The drawback is not in the concept of a .BRAND, but in the failure to leverage it. A .BRAND is not just a new address. It establishes a platform for innovation, enabling new technological opportunities like blockchain-based verification, personalized web spaces for customers, and a streamlined, secure internal network. As we discuss here, organizations can also use these assets as new and evolving revenue streams, which is worth considering too. 

Conclusions: Building Your gTLD Strategy

The upcoming ICANN new gTLD round presents a pivotal moment for brand owners. The landscape requires a dual strategy: You should prepare a vigilant defense of your trademarks through the WIPO-administered Legal Rights Objection process. Beyond that, an educated decision on whether to claim your own DotBrand domain reduces the risks associated to missed opportunities and challenges. The time to prepare your objection handling protocols is now, long before the anticipated application window in the second quarter of 2026. 

Do not let your brand become a case study in missed opportunity or costly dispute resolution. A unique DotBrand domain can be more than a web extension. It’s a gateway to plenty of digital opportunities, from brand-defining marketing campaigns to innovative blockchain capabilities. Of course, it’s not for everyone, but it’s worth exploring, so you can make a decision based on diligence and facts. 

Our team at EBRAND is expert in navigating the complexities of the ICANN application process. We provide comprehensive support, from developing a robust benefit analysis to the strategy to securing and strategically implementing your .BRAND. We help you not only to acquire your digital asset but to build a visionary plan for its use. Contact us below to schedule a consultation and discover how you can actively define your brand’s future on the internet. 

The post Objection Handling: Fighting Unwanted .BRAND gTLDs appeared first on EBRAND.

Online security relies on cryptographic protocols, and while most websites claim to use an SSL certificate, it’s actually TLS that does the work. If your brand relies on secure communication, your team must know the difference between SSL and TLS as a top priority.

To help you safeguard your brand’s online presence, we at EBRAND offer a free brand audit that maps your digital footprint and flags impersonation or phishing threats.

The Evolution from SSL to TLS

The Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) protocol was originally developed to encrypt communication between web browsers and servers. SSL 2.0, released in 1995, was the first widely used version, but it contained significant vulnerabilities. Version 3.0 addressed many of these issues, but was eventually found to be insecure as well. Both SSL 2.0 and 3.0 are now deprecated.

Transport Layer Security (TLS) was introduced as the successor to SSL. TLS 1.0, released in 1999, retained the core architecture of SSL but improved its encryption capabilities. TLS 1.1, 1.2, and 1.3 have continued to refine the protocol, making it faster, more secure, and more adaptable to modern cryptographic requirements. Today, it is the modern standard for encrypted communication.

Technical Differences

While TLS and SSL are both cryptographic protocols that encrypt data between a server and a web browser, their technical foundations differ significantly. TLS supports newer, more secure encryption algorithms, including AEAD ciphers and modern elliptic curve cryptography. SSL relies on outdated algorithms that no longer meet today’s security standards.

Another major difference between TLS and SSL lies in the handshake process. The SSL handshake is slower, less flexible, and more vulnerable to downgrade attacks. TLS uses a more efficient handshake process, especially from version 1.2 onwards, supporting features such as forward secrecy and session resumption. TLS also provides stronger authentication methods and certificate validation mechanisms.

Both protocols use digital certificates issued by certificate authorities to authenticate the server and establish a secure connection. However, TLS certificates benefit from better algorithm support, better cipher suite negotiation, and more secure key exchange methods.

Here’s a side-by-side comparison to summarize the core differences between SSL and TLS:

Why the Term ‘SSL Certificate’ Is Still Used

Even though TLS is the protocol in use today, the term “SSL certificate” remains widely used in marketing and technical documentation. This leads to confusion for many users who assume they are installing an SSL certificate that uses the SSL protocol.

In reality, when you install a Secure Sockets Layer certificate today, whether a wildcard or a domain-specific certificate, it’s TLS that handles the secure communication. The certificate still performs the same function: it authenticates the server and enables encryption, but under the TLS protocol. Most SSL certificates and TLS certificates are essentially the same in function, but “SSL” persists as a legacy naming convention.

How SSL and TLS Work in Practice

Both SSL and TLS protocols enable secure connections using a multi-step process that involves server authentication, encryption setup, and secure data transmission. During the handshake process, the server presents its digital certificate to the client, which is verified using the public key infrastructure and trusted certificate authorities.

If authentication is successful, a shared session key is negotiated using a cryptographic algorithm, which then encrypts all communication between the client and the server. While the SSL handshake used to perform this role, the TLS handshake process has replaced it in modern secure communication.

TLS 1.2 and 1.3 also support newer cryptographic algorithms and remove outdated features that made earlier SSL versions vulnerable. TLS is used in HTTPS-based secure communication, email encryption, and other protocols, while SSL is no longer considered safe for any type of transmission.

Security and Compatibility: SSL Deprecation vs TLS Adoption

SSL is now considered obsolete. SSL 2.0 and 3.0 are officially deprecated, and most major web browsers and servers have disabled support for them. TLS 1.0 and 1.1 were also formally deprecated, but some legacy systems still support them. The recommended standards are TLS 1.2 and 1.3, which offer better encryption, shorter handshakes, and improved security.

TLS is the updated version of SSL in every functional sense. It supports modern authentication, robust encryption, and flexible protocol negotiation. Today’s secure certificates work over the TLS protocol by default. In fact, the SSL certificates that EBRAND issues with our clients all come with TLS encryption by default. Ultimately, TLS is the protocol that enables HTTPS encryption across the web.

Modern TLS Certificates and Certificate Management

Although the term “SSL certificate” still appears in dashboards, control panels, and product names, all certificates in use today rely on TLS. Whether you use a standard or wildcard Secure Sockets Layer certificate, the underlying encryption occurs via the TLS protocol.

Certificate management involves acquiring a certificate from a trusted certificate authority, installing it on your server, and ensuring timely renewals, particularly as industry standards regarding SSL certificate lifespans evolve. Implementing TLS also means staying current with the latest TLS version and disabling insecure versions of SSL or TLS.

When you install an SSL certificate today, you’re really implementing TLS encryption, because TLS is the cryptographic protocol that encrypts data, authenticates the server, and ensures secure communication.

Conclusion

The key differences between TLS and SSL lie in security, protocol design, and long-term viability. While SSL once set the standard for encrypted connections, its vulnerabilities led to deprecation. Today, its successor is not just more secure, but actively maintained and widely supported.

Despite the continued use of the term “SSL certificate,” it’s the newer protocol that handles encrypted communication across the web. If your systems still rely on outdated technology or ambiguous configurations, upgrading to the latest version is critical. Legacy methods no longer offer adequate protection; modern certificate deployment should be built entirely on current, secure protocols.

The post TLS vs SSL Certificates – How Are They Different appeared first on EBRAND.

It’s Halloween, and a new nightmare haunts the digital world, more threatening than any ghost or goblin. We call this cyberthreat the “Bionic Infringement,” a chilling fusion of AI and human cunning that spoils the festive season. Bionic infringements merge the speed and scale of artificial intelligence with the ingenuity of human operatives. As a result, industrial-strength threats flood search results and social media feeds with convincing fake shops and phishing traps, turning a season of excitement into an ecommerce nightmare.

Here, we’ll unmask this Halloween cyberthreat, detailing the dangers it poses to brands and customers, and providing a pragmatic playbook to fight back. You can also cut to the chase with a free brand audit to identify bionic infringements right here.

Unmasking the “Bionic Infringer” this Halloween

Imagine a factory where AI handles the heavy lifting, mass-producing deceptive copy, cloning site templates, and spawning legions of domain names and social accounts. Then, human ingenuity adds the finishing touches: subtle creative twists, payment-routing tricks, and adaptive strategies when defenses strike back. This fusion creates a scaled attack with a disturbingly human face, perfect for exploiting the busy Halloween shopping season.

These operations deploy with several frightening features. They mass-produce fake shops faster than you can say “trick-or-treat,” creating BogusBazaar-style waves in minutes. They use AI to generate authentic-looking product pages for popular Halloween costumes and decorations. Human operators then tune these operations for evasion, using curated payment routing and managing shipping behavior. Sometimes, they send counterfeit items, but more often, like a ghost, they leave nothing but a missing package and a stolen payment. They use distributed infrastructure and SEO tricks to drive traffic quickly, launching combination attacks that synchronize fake shops, social accounts, and phishing campaigns to harvest payments and Personally Identifiable Information (PII).

A Horror Story for Brands

The Bionic Infringement does more than steal a few sales. For marketing, legal, and security departments alike, the phenomenon unleashes a cascade of horrors. Bionic infringements commit direct customer theft and fraud, turning a consumer’s search for a Halloween deal into a nightmare of stolen payment data and identity theft. These attacks inflict severe reputational damage, as angry complaints and negative reviews spread like a ghost story, eroding trust. Increasingly, digital infringements place a heavy operational strain, causing a spike in support tickets and chargebacks that haunt finance teams for months. Furthermore, brands face increased legal and compliance exposure from mishandled PII, a truly terrifying prospect for any business.

The Infringer’s Halloween Playbook

The bionic infringer follows a sinister, repeatable pattern to target brands and their customers. First, AI generates a haunted template, cloning a brand’s site layout and product catalog at scale. Next, the operation unleashes a swarm of malicious domains. Then, they amplify their ghostly presence by buying ads and creating fake social posts. The core of the attack involves a digital trick-or-treat: convincing checkout flows and fake support chats designed to harvest credentials and payments. Human operatives constantly adjust the scheme, and when platforms exorcise one batch of fake sites, a new wave rises from the grave moments later.

While AI provides the infringer’s scale, human cunning forms the core of the attack. Experienced human scammers bring intuition about which Halloween product lines will convert, creativity in mimicking a brand’s voice, and the manual skill to evade automated detection rules. This human element makes these attacks persistently effective, as they can adapt and improvise where a purely automated system cannot.

Fighting Bionic Infringements this Halloween

To defend against this seasonal cyberthreat, brands must deploy a hybrid strategy that combines human expertise with AI powered tooling. This approach starts with constant vigilance. Organizations must implement automated high frequency scans to hunt for suspicious domain clusters and ad creatives. Your monitoring must cover the entire digital landscape where Halloween shoppers browse from search results to social platforms and online marketplaces.

When your systems identify a potential threat, your next steps must involve coordinated and rapid responses. Automated tools can gather evidence to accelerate legal takedowns, but human analysts lead the charge. Experts validate complex threats and coordinate directly with law enforcement and payment processors to disrupt the criminal operation. Your teams should also monitor payment flow anomalies, especially during the peak Halloween season, and the following ecommerce events like Black Friday and Cyber Monday.

You can also protect your customers by making your official storefronts and checkout flows clearly verifiable. Use dynamic trust signals like one-time codes to help shoppers distinguish your legitimate site from a fraudulent one. Beyond that, you can also boost these efforts with aggressive legal action. Proactively enforcing your intellectual property rights helps you build strong relationships with major platforms to ensure they assist your takedown efforts.

Finally, remember that collaboration strengthens your defense. Participating in intelligence sharing with other brands and law enforcement helps you coordinate your efforts for a data-led anti-scam strategy. When you pool your data to identify threat actors, you help your entire industry create a safer online landscape, during Halloween and beyond.

A Consumer’s Guide to a Safe Halloween Online

Customers must stay vigilant for several key warning signs this season. Watch for unexpectedly low prices on popular Halloween costumes or decorations. Scrutinize domain names for extra words or bad grammar. Be wary of requests for less secure payment methods and a lack of verifiable order numbers. If an offer seems too good to be true, it might be a trick, rather than a treat.

The Bottom Line: Don’t Be Scared

Bionic Infringements scale like a machine and adapt like a human, making them a uniquely dangerous cyberthreat, not just around Halloween. That being said, brands and organizations need not be spooked. The winning solution combines human investigators and legal experts, empowering strategies with AI for discovery and rapid response. Building this hybrid defense will protect their customers’ wallets and data, ensuring the only scares this season are the fun ones.

The post Halloween Cyberthreats: The Case of the Bionic Infringement appeared first on EBRAND.

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.

As cybersecurity threats spike in frequency and complexity, organizations must upgrade their tools and resources for fighting back. Without the right combination of technology and expertise, critical risks evade detection until it’s too late. Managed Detection and Response (MDR) addresses this gap by delivering continuous threat monitoring and expert-led incident response. This article explains how MDR works, and why it’s important for future-proof businesses.  

Curious about how your cybersecurity defenses measure up? Take advantage of our free risk audit to identify weaknesses today.  

Understanding Managed Detection and Response (MDR)

As a cybersecurity service, MDR allows businesses to detect, analyze, and respond to security threats without stretching internal teams beyond their limits. Rather than just providing alerts, an MDR service provider handles monitoring and incident response in real time. Their team of security analysts, operating from a security operations center (SOC), investigates suspicious behavior and guides containment efforts with precision.  

This approach combines security technologies with human expertise, enabling organizations to take decisive action rather than react to alerts. By integrating seamlessly with existing security tools, it strengthens the security posture of companies across industries.  

Detection Technologies that Collaborate with MDR  

Cyber Threat Intelligence (CTI)  

CTI continuously monitors the threat landscape to identify emerging risks targeting your organization. It provides actionable insights about threat actors, their methods, and indicators of compromise to help you stay ahead of attacks before they impact your business.  

Threat Hunting  

Threat hunting proactively searches for hidden threats that have evaded traditional security controls. Our expert hunters use advanced techniques and behavioral analysis to uncover sophisticated attacks that are already inside your environment but haven’t yet been detected.  

Risk Scoring and Assessment  

Risk scoring quantifies your organization’s exposure across digital channels and threat vectors. It prioritizes vulnerabilities and threats based on their potential impact, helping you allocate security resources where they matter most and make data-driven decisions about risk mitigation. 

How MDR Enhances These Technologies  

Businesses need human insight to tackle nuanced cybersecurity threats. For dynamic and evolving cyberattacks, MDR adds a managed layer that monitors, validates, and acts on alerts. This human-driven response filters noise and prioritizes real threats. Cyberthreat intelligence experts in the don’t just detect issues, they respond to them in real time.  

It also closes the gap between threat detection and action. When threats emerge, the MDR team isolates affected systems, advises next steps, and ensures that breaches are contained before damage spreads. 

MDR in Practice 

MDR services integrate seamlessly into a company’s existing environment through tools already in use or other security products. Once integrated, the MDR solution provider begins monitoring activity around the clock. Analysts review threats, validate their severity, and respond in accordance with agreed-upon protocols.  

If attackers breach a system, MDR experts take immediate steps: isolate compromised endpoints, neutralize malicious processes, and guide the company through recovery. This active response protects both data and operations without requiring round-the-clock attention from internal teams.   

The Benefits of MDR Services 

Here are six key benefits that Managed Detections and Responses could bring to your organization:

1. You’d respond to threats faster with real-time.

2. As a whole, your organization would reduce alert fatigue by filtering out noise and false positives.

3. Your security posture would strengthen, without replacing current tools.

4. You’d also gain access to security experts without building a large in-house team.

5. The services make it easier to scale, extending your digital safeguards as your business grows or shifts environments.

6. You’d decrease your operational costs, compared to the cost of hiring and training internal analysts.

Key Advantages of MDR vs. Traditional Security  

Traditional security tools wait for threats to reach your perimeter or endpoints before taking action. Managed Detection and Response takes a fundamentally different approach by extending visibility far beyond your network boundaries.  

Within a Digital Risk Protection solution, manage response tactics monitor the entire digital ecosystem where threats to your organization develop. These threats span the full spectrum of digital channels from dark web forums and social media to compromised credentials, from marketplaces to fraudulent domains. Beyond simply detecting threats, managed detection and response strategies identify and neutralize them before they can impact your business.  

The key differentiator is our takedown capabilities. When we identify threats like phishing sites, fraudulent domains, or leaked credentials, we don’t just alert you – we actively work to remove them from the internet, disrupting attack campaigns at their source. This proactive approach transforms cybersecurity from reactive defense to offensive threat disruption.   

Considerations and Potential Challenges 

Data control may shift partially to the service provider, which is not something all teams are comfortable with

Considerations and Potential Challenges around MDR

While MDR offers significant advantages, its implementation comes with important considerations. The integration process itself may require you to adjust existing workflows to fit the provider’s model, which can be a disruptive undertaking. It’s also crucial to remember that your security outcomes are directly tied to the provider’s quality, as their expertise dictates the speed and accuracy of threat response. Finally, adopting MDR means a partial shift of your sensitive data control to a third party, a prospect that not all internal security teams are comfortable with, potentially raising issues around visibility and governance.

Choosing the right MDR provider involves looking beyond features to how well the service aligns with internal goals and expectations. At the same time, organizations should recognize that MDR focuses primarily on internal detection and incident response. To cover external risks such as phishing campaigns, brand impersonation, and malvertising, businesses can strengthen their security posture with Digital Risk Protection services. This combined approach ensures that threats are managed both inside and outside the organization’s network. 

Conclusions

MDR helps organizations shift from passive monitoring to proactive protection. It doesn’t replace internal teams; it reinforces them. With the right managed detection and response services, companies stay prepared, respond more quickly, and build long-term resilience against evolving threats. 

Partnering with experienced managed security service providers puts skilled analysts and advanced tools behind every alert. When time and expertise are limited, MDR builds a clear and focused path forward. 

The post What Is MDR in Cyber Security appeared first on EBRAND.

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. 

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Customer service helps us in our time of need, whether we’ve missed our flights or our vacation is at risk. In the travel industry and many others, scammers increasingly hijack these services to trick the vulnerable, and providers must fight back. 

A friend in need is a friend indeed. When we’re far from home, facing a travel nightmare, we need a friendly voice and a reliable solution that we can trust. For example, imagine if a cancelled flight strands you in an unfamiliar airport. Your pre-booked accommodation falls through, leaving you scrambling with tired children in tow. In moments like these, you need a lifeline, and it’s time to call for customer support. The person who answers is not who they seem.

Scammers specifically target distressed travelers by hijacking the very customer service channels that people trust. They create fake support pages, establish fraudulent call centers, and even compromise legitimate contact points for real travel agencies and airlines. Here, we explore recent cases that highlight the scourge of these customer service scams. We unpack their impact on innocent holidaymakers, from financial loss to ruined trips, and the severe brand reputation damage left in their wake. Finally, we explain how travel companies can fight back with proactive tools like anti-scam audits and comprehensive digital risk protection strategies.

One Recent Customer Service Scam

Consider the recent case of a Denver man whose flight cancellation led to a financial nightmare. After his flight was canceled, he searched for customer service help. He found the airline’s real website, and clicked on their legtimate customer support number. The man spoke to a customer support agent for around three hours, and believed he had the problem solved. However, he never received his expected refund. Instead, a devastating $17,000 charge appeared on his credit card, labeled deceptively as “AIRLINEFARE,” on top of the cost of his rebooked flight.

This incident underscores critical lessons for consumers and providers alike. Even sites that appear legitimate leave vulnerabilities where cybercriminals intercede. In the age of AI, where attacks increase in complexity and frequency service providers must implement proactive tools and strategies, no matter what industry you’re in. Sophisticated scammers abuse trust and personal details to cancel legitimate bookings and redirect refunds to themselves, presenting a worrying template for a broader issue.

How Scammers Manipulate Customer Service Search Results

Another recent report told the story of a Canadian holidaymaker who lost $500 to a similar fake customer service scheme. They aren’t isolated incidents: they’re a concerning trend across services industries, that manipulate human vulnerability and digital infrastructure. We can also link the increase in customer service scams with exploits in search engine algoriths, SERP, and SEO. Bad actors learn how to manipulate systems like Google to elevate their fake airline customer service numbers to the top of search results.

For example, a recent search for a common query like “Airline flight change” revealed a troubling reality. Half of the results were from scammers impersonating a major North American airline, their fraudulent phone numbers prominently displayed and waiting for desperate calls. This manipulation of search engines directly targets consumers when they are most vulnerable and seeking immediate customer service help.

Other Tactics Used in Customer Service Scams

Beyond hijacking search results, scammers employ a range of other tactics to launch their customer service scams. Cybersquatting involves registering domain names that are misspellings of legitimate brand websites, tricking users who type a web address incorrectly. Fake ads are another major vector; these paid-for results, often labeled “sponsored,” direct users to malicious sites.

Frustrated passengers often turn to social media for quick customer service responses. On platforms like X, formerly Twitter, fake profiles monitor customer complaints and reply with fraudulent contact information. In a disturbing twist, some scams involve compromising legitimate channels. In one case, a passenger who definitely called the airline’s official customer service number still fell victim. He reported speaking all day with customer service agents, but the airline’s internal logs showed only a short call, suggesting a sophisticated hijacking of their own support system.

The Far-Reaching Impact of Fake Customer Service

Underneath each of these stories, behind all the tactics and headlines, lies a series of real people under threat. For holidaymakers, customer service scams wreak a huge psychological toll. Families suffer upset and distress, and fraud ruins precious vacation memories. For the brands impersonated, severe implications for revenues and careers also await. Organizations in the travel industry face stolen revenue, damaged reputations, and potential compliance sanctions for failing to protect consumer data. Every successful scam emboldens criminals and erodes consumer confidence in the entire travel industry.

Fight Back with Digital Risk Protection

The travel and services industries, like many customer-facing sectors online, must fight back. Digital Risk Protection services provide a powerful defense against these customer service scams, helping organizations take control of their online threats. They combat consumer phishing by identifying malicious domains designed to harvest personal information. At the source, they also tackle fraudulent websites that impersonate your brand, securing your digital assets before customers suffer.

Digital Risk Protection services also extend to removing fake mobile apps from app stores that seek to appropriate funds and distribute malware in the guise of customer support. They also monitor for fraudulent sponsored ads on social media and search engines, ensuring scammers cannot pay to impersonate your brand and lure victims. By proactively identifying and eliminating these threats, companies can safeguard their customers and their reputation.

Don’t let scammers damage your brand and exploit your customers. Get started now with a free brand audit to unmask and eliminate customer service scams operating in your brand’s name.

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Spear Phishing vs Phishing: What Is The Difference? 

Phishing and spear phishing are among the most common and dangerous cyber threats. Both attacks use social engineering tactics to manipulate individuals into revealing sensitive information, but they differ significantly in scope, technique, and execution.  

This blog post will delve into the key differences between phishing and spear phishing, their tactics, the risks they pose, and best practices for preventing these attacks. As we explore the topics, you can also get a free phishing audit to what’s currently hunting your brand online.

Understanding Phishing Attacks 

Phishing is a broad term that refers to any attempt by cybercriminals to deceive individuals into divulging sensitive information, such as credentials, credit card numbers, or sensitive data. The attackers often impersonate a legitimate entity, such as a well-known company, government organization, or bank, through fraudulent phishing emails or websites. These emails typically contain a malicious link or attachment designed to steal the victim’s passwords, install malware, or gain access to their personal information. 

Phishing attacks can be carried out on a large scale, targeting a vast number of recipients simultaneously. This form of bulk phishing relies on the assumption that a small percentage of recipients will fall victim to the attack. Phishing scams often use generic language and spoofed emails to trick individuals into acting impulsively. 

Phishing can also take the form of smishing (SMS phishing) or vishing (voice phishing), where attackers use text messages or phone calls to trick victims into revealing personal information. The main goal of these phishing attempts is usually to collect sensitive information, such as usernames, passwords, and financial details. Attackers may impersonate a trusted sender, such as a bank or service provider, to create a sense of urgency and trick the recipient into clicking on a malicious link or providing sensitive information. 

What Is Spear Phishing? 

Unlike standard forms of phishing, which casts a wide net, spear phishing attacks are carefully crafted to target a specific individual or organization. Spear-phishing emails are highly personalized, often using information about the recipient, such as their name, job title, or recent interactions, to increase the chances of success. This personalization makes spear phishing attacks far more convincing and harder to detect. 

A typical spear phishing attack may come from a seemingly legitimate sender, such as a colleague, boss, or trusted partner. The attacker uses information gleaned from social media, company websites, or previous communication to create a believable context for the attack. These emails often contain malicious links or attachments designed to install malware or direct the victim to a fake website that captures login credentials or other personal data.  

This targeted nature makes spear phishing a far more dangerous threat to individuals and organizations. 

Key Differences Between Spear Phishing and Phishing 

The most notable distinction between phishing and spear phishing is the level of personalization and targeting. In phishing, the attacker sends out bulk phishing emails to a large number of people, hoping that a small fraction will fall for the scam. These emails are often generic and designed to deceive anyone who might open them. 

In contrast, spear phishing focuses on targeted attacks, often aimed at specific individuals within an organization or company. The attacker may use personal information about the recipient, such as their role, recent activities, or relationships with colleagues, to craft a convincing attack. These spear phishing emails are much more difficult to spot, as they seem to come from trusted senders. 

Another key difference is the complexity of the attack. Phishing is typically less sophisticated, using broad tactics such as creating a fake website or sending a phishing message that mimics a legitimate brand. Spear phishing, on the other hand, may involve email spoofing and advanced social engineering techniques, such as impersonating a trusted sender and requesting actions like wire transfers or sensitive information exchanges. 

While phishing attacks often rely on low-cost, high-volume tactics, spear phishing is a sophisticated attack vector that demands more resources and careful planning by the attacker. 

Common Tactics Used in Phishing Attacks 

One of the most common methods is email spoofing, where the attacker makes the sender appear as if it’s a legitimate entity. This can involve sending a phishing email that looks like it’s from a bank or a well-known company. The email will often urge the recipient to click on a malicious link or download an attachment, both of which may lead to the installation of malware or direct the victim to a fake website. 

In spear phishing, attackers take this a step further by personalizing the email. They may reference the recipient’s job position, specific project, or recent communication to make the email appear more legitimate. The attacker may also employ psychological manipulation to create a sense of urgency, prompting the recipient to act quickly without thinking. 

On top of that, business email compromise (BEC) is a growing concern. In this form of spear phishing, attackers impersonate executives or high-ranking officials to trick employees into making wire transfers or providing sensitive company information. These types of spear phishing scams can be especially dangerous due to their high level of sophistication. 

Risks Associated with Phishing and Spear Phishing 

The primary risk is the theft of sensitive information, including login credentials, financial data, or personal identification details. This can lead to identity theft, financial loss, or unauthorized access to personal or corporate accounts. 

For businesses, the consequences of a successful spear phishing attack can be catastrophic. Attackers may gain access to critical systems, steal intellectual property, or engage in fraudulent financial activities, such as wire transfers or invoicing scams. The reputational damage from a phishing scam can also be severe, with customers losing trust in a brand’s security practices. 

Phishing attacks may also serve as a gateway to other forms of cybercrime, such as the installation of malware, ransomware, or other cyberattacks designed to further compromise the victim’s systems. Once an attacker gains access to a victim’s email account, they can often escalate the attack to target additional accounts or systems. 

Best Practices for Prevention 

Preventing phishing and spear phishing requires a multi-layered approach. Here are some of the best practices to help protect against these threats: 

1. Email security tools: Use anti-phishing software, spam filters, and email security tools to detect and block suspicious emails. 

2. Multi-factor authentication (MFA): Implement MFA to add an extra layer of security in case login credentials are compromised. 

3. Security awareness training: Conduct regular phishing simulations and cybersecurity training to help employees recognize phishing messages and avoid falling for social engineering tactics. 

4. Be cautious with clicking: Never click on links or open attachments in unsolicited emails, even if they appear to come from trusted sources. 

5. Verify suspicious requests: Always verify requests for sensitive information or wire transfers directly with the person or organization through a different communication channel. 

For well-protected, future-proof organizations, the best protection comes from combining these tactics with a professional digital risk protection service. These services deliver continuous monitoring, early threat detection, and proactive defense to safeguard your organization from external cyber threats, including phishing and data leaks. 

Conclusion 

Both phishing and spear phishing are significant threats in the world of cybersecurity. While phishing attacks cast a wide net to capture unsuspecting victims, spear phishing is more targeted and sophisticated, focusing on specific individuals or organizations. By understanding the differences between the two and implementing robust security practices, you can reduce the risk of falling victim to these dangerous cybercrimes. Protecting sensitive data and using the right tools and training helps your organization safeguard against phishing and spear phishing attacks. 

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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. 

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