Picture this: In this Douyin live stream, the seller discreetly peddles counterfeit luxury goods imitating XXX designs and trademarks. They use vague labels such as ‘top-tier original manufacturer copies’ and coded ordering (e.g., ‘C24’) to conceal the products’ inauthenticity and evade the platform’s monitoring. This tactic is a typical example of how counterfeiters disguise the sale of fake luxury goods in Douyin live streams and other Chinese ecommerce platforms.

While this scenario is frustratingly common, it is increasingly encountering a wave of new governance measures. As the Chinese ecommerce market continues to lead global transactions (accounting for over 45% of worldwide online retail sales in 2025), the fight against counterfeits and infringements has developed into a high-stakes contest involving technology, regulation, and platform-specific strategies. Below, we analyse the latest trends, platform actions, and ongoing challenges that are shaping this crucial field. You can also get a free brand audit to see if your brand is protected across Chinese ecommerce platforms and beyond right here.

2025 Core Trends: New Dynamics of Infringement in Chinese EcommerceEcosystems

The landscape of counterfeiting and infringement in the Chinese ecommerce sector is no longer a one-size-fits-all situation. Instead, it has evolved into platform-specific and scenario-driven challenges, each posing unique risks to consumers and brands.

1. Chinese Ecommerce & Live-Streaming: The Top Infringements

Live-streaming platforms like Douyin and Kuaishou have become the primary locations for counterfeit complaints. Data in 2025 shows a 62% year-on-year increase in reports related to live sales. A key driver behind this is the rise of ‘Superfakes’—highly sophisticated counterfeits that mimic luxury goods (e.g., designer bags, high-end 3C products) with a simulation rate of over 95%. These counterfeits use advanced manufacturing techniques to replicate materials and logos, and they now account for more than 30% of all counterfeit-related complaints on live-streaming platforms.

Meanwhile, social media platforms such as Xiaohongshu face a different threat: AI-generated deceptive content. Complaints about ‘product mismatch’, where the received item differs from the AI-synthesized review images, have risen by 78% year-on-year. Young consumers, attracted by visually appealing ‘grass-planting’ posts (a term referring to product recommendation content), often fall victim to these falsified product demonstrations.

2. ‘Ghost Stores’: The Elusive Chinese Ecommerce Enforcement Challenge

A major problem for regulators is the widespread existence of ‘ghost stores’, online shops with false addresses and contact information. According to China’s State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR), more than 50% of stores involved in counterfeiting fall into this category, making it almost impossible for regulatory teams to track down their physical operations. These stores often appear temporarily, especially during sales events, and disappear once complaints accumulate, leaving consumers with little chance of seeking redress.

3. Globalized Cross-Border Counterfeit Chains

In 2025, cross-border counterfeiting has undergone a dangerous evolution: the ‘overseas labelling + cross-border distribution’ model. Unscrupulous sellers establish shell companies in Southeast Asia and Latin America, attach ‘foreign brand’ labels to domestically produced counterfeits, and sell them back to China through platforms like Temu and Shein. This tactic takes advantage of tariff gaps and regulatory blind spots, and such cases now make up 45% of all cross-border Chinese ecommerce complaints.

4. Sales Events: Infringement ‘Peak Seasons’

China’s flagship ecommerce events, Double 11 (November 11) and 618 (June 18), remain magnets for counterfeits. During the 2025 Double 11, Pinduoduo’s ‘Billion Subsidy’ section alone received 230,000 complaints regarding low-quality and counterfeit goods. Over 60% of these complaints involved fake home appliances and cosmetics, and some items (e.g., shoddy power banks) even posed fire hazards. This is a stark reminder of the safety risks associated with event-driven counterfeiting.

2025 Governance Updates: Platform-Specific Solutions & Tech Innovation

Major Chinese ecommerce platforms have responded to these challenges with customized strategies, leveraging technology to address gaps in counterfeit detection and infringement prevention.

1. Taobao/Tmall: Blockchain for ‘Superfake’ Traceability

To tackle high-end counterfeits, Taobao and Tmall launched a Blockchain Authenticity Traceability System in 2025. In collaboration with over 1,000 luxury and 3C brands, the system tracks products from manufacturing and storage to sales. Consumers can scan a QR code to view details such as the sources of raw materials and factory certifications, effectively eliminating ‘information asymmetry’ for premium goods. By the end of 2025, this system had blocked 120,000 links to ‘Superfakes.’

2. Douyin: AI for Real-Time Chinese Ecommerce Live-Streaming Monitoring

Douyin’s solution to live-streaming fraud is its AI Live Monitoring Tool, which analyzes both verbal claims (e.g., exaggerated product functions) and visual demonstrations (e.g., mismatched samples) in real time. When the tool detects violations, it automatically triggers alerts and pauses non-compliant streams. In 2025, this technology handled 32,000 non-compliant live streams, marking a crucial step in curbing deceptive sales tactics.

3. JD: Logistics-Driven Counterfeit Interception

In 2025, JD leveraged its proprietary logistics network to establish ‘Counterfeit Interception Warehouses.’ All incoming products undergo three rounds of inspections: appearance checks, functional tests, and component analysis. By the end of the year, these warehouses had seized 8 million problematic items, with 65% of them being cross-border goods. JD also introduced a ‘24-Hour Counterfeit Refund’ service, ensuring that consumers receive full refunds promptly if they receive counterfeit products.

4. Xiaohongshu: AI-Generated Content Verification

To address fraud involving AI-synthesized reviews, Xiaohongshu developed an Image Authenticity Check Feature. When users upload ‘grass-planting’ posts, the system scans the images for traces of AI generation and labels them with a ‘Synthesis Risk Level’. These risks include ‘Low Risk’ for minor edits and ‘High Risk’ for fully AI-created conten. By 2025, this feature had flagged 500,000 suspicious posts, helping users make more informed purchasing decisions.

5. Strengthened Regulatory-Platform Collaboration

To combat these trends, SAMR has partnered with China Customs to launch the ‘Cross-Border Ecommerce Counterfeit Traceability Initiative.’ In 2025, the number of cross-border product inspections increased by 90% year-on-year. These inspections primarily focused on cracking down on ‘overseas labelled’ counterfeits. Additionally, the Measures for the Protection of Intellectual Property Rights in Live-Streaming Ecommerce officially came into effect. This required platforms to implement end-to-end supervision of livestreamers’ product qualifications, including pre-review, real-time monitoring, and post-sales tracing. Non-compliant platforms face fines of up to 5 million RMB, which serves as a significant deterrent.

Conclusion: Securing Chinese Ecommerce Platforms

2025 marks a turning point in China’s fight against ecommerce counterfeits and infringements. This turning point is defined by innovation, coordination between regulators and platforms, and third-party brand protection partners like EBRAND. Together, we can fill governance gaps (e.g., cross-platform monitoring, global regulatory collaboration) that platforms alone cannot address. As the Chinese ecommerce market continues to evolve, brands that combine ‘platform synergy’ with ‘third-party expertise’ position themselves best. With those strategies in hand, we can protect reputations and gain consumer trust.

The post Counterfeiting & Infringement Trends in Chinese Ecommerce appeared first on EBRAND.

The recent FDA warning to 18 companies for selling counterfeit „Botox“ online serves as a stark reminder that intellectual property infringement is not a victimless crime. These kinds of scams pose a direct threat to public health. Counterfeit products, often purchased through social media ads or fraudulent websites, inflict serious harm on consumers, from blurry vision and difficulty swallowing to life-threatening illnesses like botulism and more. 

This crisis highlights a critical challenge for rights holders. As dangerous goods spread on digital marketplaces, our enforcement playbook must evolve faster than the criminals. 

Direct Hazards of Counterfeit Health Products 

Often, counterfeit health and beauty products simply don’t work as advertised. Beyond that, they also evade safety standards and spread poison to consumers.When someone purchases fake Botox, unapproved pharmaceuticals, or adulterated skincare, they unknowingly participate in a high-stakes gamble with their well-being. Counterfeit cosmetics often contain harmful substances like bacteria, lead, and arsenic.  

Fake pharmaceuticals play fast and loose with incorrect dosages, wrong active ingredients, or toxic substitutes. When scammers side-step quality controls, their medical devices fail catastrophically far more often. These products enter the market with no regulatory oversight, bypassing the safety standards that protect consumers from irreversible harm. 

Evading Regulatory Scrutiny 

Criminal networks deliberately structure their online operations to avoid detection by authorities like American trading standards and global regulatory bodies. They use complex supply chains, shell companies, and anonymous domain registrations to obscure their identities. Their sales platforms move in constant flux, shifting from social media platforms like TikTok to standalone websites and back again. 

A core tactic is the rapid deployment of fraudulent websites designed to impersonate legitimate brands. These digital storefronts, often using slight variations of well-known trademarks, exist only long enough to process orders for counterfeit or dangerous goods before disappearing. Just as one is taken down, another appears under a new name, selling the same fraudulent products and eroding consumer trust. 

This endless cycle of deception poses a critical question: so how can brands, pharmaceutical or otherwise, protect their trademarks and their customers from these impersonations online? 

Technical Tactics to Unmask Counterfeit Health Products 

As scammers evolve, we need smarter ways to fight back. For example, modern brands use specialized monitoring tools to track technical changes around suspicious domains. Technical clues towards nefarious activities include the Domain Name System (DNS) records, which function like a website’s address book. By watching for alterations to these records, such as a domain suddenly switching to a new hosting provider or server location, we can map the infrastructure, as scammers build and expand their operations. Brand protection platforms also analyze SSL certificates, the security protocols that create the „HTTPS“ lock icon in a browser. When a rogue site selling counterfeit health products acquires an SSL certificate, it falsely signals to visitors that the site is safe and legitimate, making this a critical data point for early detection. 

Monitoring extends to the website content itself, tracking when a previously empty domain suddenly populates with text and images that mimic a trusted brand. This comprehensive view of a domain’s evolution, from its technical backbone to its public-facing appearance, provides a powerful evidence trail. Detailed evidence supports traditional domain takedowns as well as broader enforcement actions. 

The Brand’s Role: Proactive Monitoring and Takedowns 

Brands must also lead the charge in a proactive defense of their digital territory. Relying solely on platform enforcement is no longer sufficient to protect your revenue and your clients. A comprehensive strategy includes continuous social media and ad monitoring to scan for impersonator accounts and malicious ads. Advanced, AI-powered detection tools analyze millions of data points to identify patterns and uncover sophisticated fake storefronts.  

Following detection, brands need a rapid and legally backed takedown process to remove infringing content from social media platforms, web content, digital advertisers, and even app stores. Detecting counterfeit health products demands immediate action to protect the toxic and ineffective goods. To protect consumers, use the information and evidence you’ve gathered so far to escalate countermeasures towards permanent website takedowns. This tactic helps tackle the most persistent bad actors at the source of their online ecosystem. Dismantling criminal infrastructure establishes a long-lasting deterrant, rather than just treating the symptoms. 

Vigilance Against Counterfeit Health Products

The sale of counterfeit health products presents a clear and present danger to consumers. Protecting the public requires a collaborative effort that combines regulatory action, financial industry initiatives, and aggressive brand-led enforcement. By deploying a layered defense that monitors the digital landscape, disrupts financial flows, and executes swift takedowns, rights holders protect their IP and their customers.  

Ultimately, understanding your unique risks lays the foundations for robust defense that protects the health of your consumers and your brand online.  

The post Counterfeit Health Products & How to Protect the Public  appeared first on EBRAND.

In the run-up to the Black Friday sales, we’re already seeing offers and deals across our feeds, promising everything from trending toys to luxury clothes at irresistible prices. It’s a huge global ecommerce event, and the shopping numbers are staggering. Last Black Friday (2024), U.S. online sales reached a record $10.8 billion, according to Adobe Analytics, a figure that represents more than 10% growth from the previous year. Other estimates suggest an even larger market, with Salesforce reporting $17.5 billion spent in the U.S. across all channels. Globally, the online sales figure for Black Friday hit a massive $74.4 billion.

However, this immense volume of online activity creates a paradise for scammers. Despite clear warnings from the FBI and other security bodies, ecommerce scams like counterfeits, fake ads, and rogue websites thrive this time of year. Fraudulent schemes successfully turn a celebratory shopping period into a season of stress and financial loss for millions. Here, we’ll explore the latest Black Friday scams to warn shoppers and equip brands with the tools needed to fight back. For businesses, you can also start with a free brand audit to expose Black Friday scams targeting your revenue.

Fake Websites and Phishing Surges During the Black Friday Sales

The digital threat landscape expands dramatically every year during the Black Friday sales. As reported by Forbes, scam websites surged by 89% over the previous year. This wave of fake sites primarily impersonates trusted brands, creating a minefield for consumers trying to find legitimate Black Friday deals.

In response, the FBI has issued specific guidance, urging shoppers to be exceptionally cautious. Their advice includes carefully checking URLs for legitimacy and security, researching unfamiliar websites, and being deeply wary of sellers who request payment via unusual methods like direct bank transfers or gift cards. The underlying principle remains clear: if a deal seems too good to be true, it almost certainly is.

Common Black Friday Scams Targeting Shoppers

Fake Order Confirmations and Delivery Notifications
Scammers exploit the high volume of online orders during the Black Friday Sales by sending fake confirmation emails for items the recipient never purchased. These emails often contain links or attachments designed to steal login credentials or install malware. Similarly, fake delivery notifications from services like UPS, DHL, or FedEx claim a package is waiting and request financial information to „finalize“ delivery. Legitimate delivery services will never ask for payment details in this manner.

Coupon and Fake Website Scams
Fraudsters create fake coupons and vouchers for high-demand products, distributing them via email and social media. These offers lead to counterfeit websites designed to harvest personal and payment information. Always verify a website’s security by ensuring the URL starts with „https://“ and displays a padlock icon.

Gift Card and Unusual Payment Method Scams
A major red flag is any seller that insists on payment via gift cards or cryptocurrency. The FBI explicitly warns against this, as these payment methods are nearly impossible to trace or refund. Scammers will ask for the gift card number and PIN, promptly draining the funds and leaving the buyer with nothing.

Spoofed Social Media Listings and Fake Reviews
Social media platforms are a hotbed for fraudulent sellers who post listings for high-demand items at unrealistically low prices, capitalizing on the Black Friday sales. These scams are amplified by fake reviews, often generated by bots, which create a false sense of legitimacy and trust. Shoppers should be skeptical of deals that seem too good to be true and stick to verified seller accounts.

How Brands Can Fight Back: Protecting Revenue and Reputation

For businesses, the proliferation of scams during peak shopping seasons represents a direct attack on revenue and brand integrity. Proactive monitoring and enforcement are essential to safeguard both.

Social Media Monitoring and Malicious Ad Takedowns
Scammers increasingly use paid social media ads to promote fake profiles and counterfeit shops. These malicious ads borrow trust from the platform to appear legitimate, directing users to fraudulent sites that steal data and money. A robust social media monitoring strategy scans platforms like Meta Ads and Google Ads for impersonations. By detecting and issuing takedowns for these infringements, brands protect their intellectual property online. They also prevent customers from being victimized in their name.

Combating AI-Powered Fake Shops
The threat has evolved with technology. Criminals now use AI to generate hundreds of sophisticated fake ecommerce shops at scale, particularly during online shopping surges like the Black Friday sales. These sites feature AI-written product descriptions and stolen images, making them nearly indistinguishable from legitimate brand storefronts. They are promoted through a barrage of fake ads and target customers across multiple channels, including deceptive domains and even fraudulent mobile apps in official stores. Our Lisa Deegan covers exactly that in a recent video podcast, so you can find out more right here.

Fighting this requires an equally sophisticated, technology-powered defense. A comprehensive Digital Risk Protection (DRP) service provides continuous, AI-powered monitoring across the clear, deep, and dark web. This proactive surveillance identifies new infringements as soon as they appear. Once the system detects a fraudulent operation, you can deploy a full arsenal of tools to take it down. Enjoy a streamlined, legally-backed takedown process remove rogue websites from domain registrars, social media platforms, and app stores. Eliminating infringements safegaurds your ecommerce revenue, setting a precedent for cybercriminals and opportunist scammers.

Secure Your Black Friday Revenue

The surge in Black Friday sales will always attract malicious actors looking to exploit both consumer excitement and brand visibility. The scams are becoming more automated, more convincing, and more widespread. For organizations, a passive approach is no longer sufficient.

Protecting your digital landscape requires proactive measures. Online brand protection and digital risk protection services safeguard your revenue by patrolling for impersonations, counterfeit sites, and malicious ads, ensuring that customers connect with your genuine brand and not a scam.

Prepare your organization for the holiday season. Secure your revenue and protect your customers by understanding your specific risk level. Get a free brand audit to identify and expose the Black Friday scams targeting your business.

The post Black Friday sales or scams? Millions stung by fake websites 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.

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

Introduction 

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

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

The Boom in Online Fitness and its Toxic Counterpart 

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

The Protein Powder Crisis in India 

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

The European Crackdown on Fake Medicines and Supplements 

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

The Allure of Fake Sportswear and Jersey Scams 

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

How Scammers Dominate Searches, from Protein Powder to Sports Brands

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

Fighting Back Against Fitness Scams 

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

Conclusion: Protecting Brands from Protein Powder to Sportswear

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

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

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

The Evolution of Digital Deception 

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

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

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

Traditional Fake Shop Tactics Still Threaten Brands 

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

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

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

AI Transforms the Fake Website Landscape 

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

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

Advanced Targeting Through Geo-Fenced Fake Websites 

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

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

Device-Specific Fake Websites Exploit Mobile Vulnerabilities 

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

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

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

Comprehensive Online Brand Protection Strategies 

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

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

Protecting Your Brand in the AI Era 

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

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

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

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

The Growing Threat of Back to School Scams 

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

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

The Rise of Fake Online Shops 

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

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

The Hidden Dangers of Fake Stationery 

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

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

Rogue Websites Selling Fake School Clothes 

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

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

Fake Smartwatches and Phones in Back to School Scams

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

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

How Parents and Brands Can Take a Stand

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

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

Conclusion: Fight Back Against Back to School Scams

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

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

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

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

The Rising Danger of Counterfeiting and Replicas in Canada 

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

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

How Counterfeiters Adapt to a Changing Market 

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

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

How Consumers Protect Themselves 

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

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

How Brands Fight Back

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

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

The Fight Against Counterfeiting and Replicas: Immediate Action 

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

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

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

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

Establishing an authentic counterfeits definition 

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

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

Updating our counterfeits definition to meet the next trends

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

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

How counterfeiting drains revenue and damages trust

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

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

Counterfeit goods: A hidden threat to consumer health

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

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

Investigating the supply chain: Stopping counterfeits at the source 

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

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

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

Concluding our counterfeits definition: Fighting back with omnichannel protection 

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

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

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