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Typology · 0 alerts

Fake Storefronts fraud

Shops with copied product photos, invented reviews, and checkouts that lead to a bank transfer.

The mechanics

How online storefront operations are run

A shop appears with a full catalogue lifted from real retailers, prices well under everyone else, and a countdown timer on every page. Paid social ads bring traffic in bulk, which is why these sites appear polished and expire quickly. At checkout the card form fails once, then a bank transfer or a wallet address is offered as the alternative. Buyers either receive nothing, or receive a substituted item worth a fraction of what was paid, shipped from a drop address so a tracking number exists.

Checks that break it

  1. 01Reverse image search two product photos; catalogues copied wholesale show up on the original retailer's site.
  2. 02Check the domain registration date before you check the reviews, which are the easiest thing on a site to fake.
  3. 03Never accept a bank transfer or wallet address after a card payment 'fails' at checkout.

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