Increase in Fraudulent Schemes Impersonating Famous Fashion Brands Lured by SNS Advertisements

Cases of fake websites impersonating famous fashion brands deceiving consumers have recently surged.

On the 27th, the Seoul Metropolitan Government announced that there has been a rise in scams using social media advertisements to lure consumers to sites impersonating famous fashion brands, where products are not shipped after payment is made, and the sites are subsequently shut down. Heightened caution is needed.

According to the Seoul Electronic Commerce Center, between October of last year and April of this year, there were 150 consultations related to scam sites impersonating famous fashion brands, totaling damages of 19.07 million KRW.

These fraudulent schemes mainly operate by luring consumers to impersonating sites through SNS advertisements, particularly on platforms like Instagram and Facebook.

The fake sites for renowned brands like 'Stüssy' and 'Asics' are crafted to closely resemble official websites, making it difficult for consumers to discern their authenticity and leading to numerous victims.

Differentiating Impersonating Sites and Response Strategies

The Seoul Metropolitan Government advises consumers to pay careful attention to domain extensions as a method to distinguish impersonating sites.

While legitimate brand sites mostly use common domain extensions such as '.com', impersonating sites often use abnormal extensions like '.top', '.shop', etc.

Since most impersonating sites utilize overseas servers, it is challenging to take measures such as blocking access to the sites when damages occur.

In response, the Seoul Metropolitan Government believes that amendments to the Electronic Commerce Act are needed to allow immediate requests for access blocking from internet service providers like KT, SK Broadband, and LG Uplus when damages occur. They plan to propose institutional improvements to the government.

Consumers should capture and retain screenshots of product pages, order, and payment details when purchasing from suspicious sites. If products are not delivered within two weeks from the payment date, consumers can dispute the charges with their credit card company and may receive a remedy through the adjustment process.

Citizens who have suffered similar damages can seek consultation and assistance from the Seoul Electronic Commerce Center.

Image Source: Example screen of impersonating website / Seoul Metropolitan Government, AI images for understanding the article / Bing Image Creator