Fake Domains, Copied Websites And Fraudulent Ecommerce Stores Are Becoming A Serious Brand Protection Challenge
The festive season is one of the busiest and most important periods for Indian businesses.
Customers are actively looking for deals and discounts. Brands are increasing their advertising budgets, e-commerce traffic is picking up, and new products and festive offers are being promoted across search engines, advertisements, messaging platforms and other digital channels.
For genuine businesses, this is the perfect opportunity to reach more customers and increase sales. Unfortunately, scammers see the same opportunity.
A fraudulent website can be created to look almost identical to a genuine business website. Scammers can register a fake domain using a slight variation of a company’s name, copy its product images, logos, website layout, and promotional content, and add attractive festive offers to make the website appear genuine.
For a customer who is in a hurry to grab a good deal, spotting the difference may not be easy. They might complete a purchase without even realising that they have left the genuine website.
For businesses, however, the damage goes much further than losing a single customer. It can affect brand trust, customer relationships, revenue and reputation, putting years of brand-building efforts at risk.
This is where brand protection, fake domain detection and lookalike website monitoring become important.
1. Why The Festive Season Increases The Risk
Festivals create the perfect environment for online shopping scams.
During this period, customers are already expecting discounts, limited-period offers, clearance sales, special editions and promotional campaigns. Scammers don’t need to come up with a completely new reason to attract customers. They simply take inspiration from the marketing activities of genuine businesses and use them to create fraudulent websites.
A fake website may use promotional messages such as:
- Festive Sale / Limited Time Offer
- Diwali Special / Up to 70 Percent Off
- Clearance Sale / Last Few Hours
The idea is simple to create a sense of urgency so that customers make a purchase before checking whether the website is genuine.
Recent reporting has highlighted an increase in cyber fraud activity during festive periods, with cybersecurity companies reporting increases of close to 40 percent during festivals.
Research into festive season scams has also identified fraudulent ecommerce websites, brand impersonation, fake promotional offers and websites designed to collect personal information from Indian consumers.
For businesses, the takeaway is simple. The festive season doesn’t just bring more customer traffic. It also creates more opportunities for scammers to misuse your brand name and take advantage of customer trust.
2. How Scammers Build A Fake Brand Website
Building a fraudulent website is no longer a complicated technical exercise. In fact, the entire process can be surprisingly straightforward.
It usually starts with identifying a trusted brand that already has good market recognition. The scammer then registers a similar or misleading fake domain. Once the domain is ready, they may copy the genuine brand’s website content, product images, logos, colours and promotional material.
Next, they add an attractive offer to make the website look like an active festive campaign. The website is then promoted through advertisements, search results, messages or other digital channels.
From the customer’s perspective, everything may appear familiar. They recognise the brand, see products they already know and come across an offer that looks too good to miss.
The website may look genuine enough to convince them to complete a purchase or share their personal information. After serving its purpose, the operator may abandon the website and move to another domain.
This is one of the reasons fake domain detection and lookalike website monitoring are becoming increasingly important for established businesses.
The threat is no longer limited to poorly designed scam pages. A fraudulent website can look polished, professional and almost identical to the original.
3. The Role Of Fake Domains
The domain name is often the first place where customers can spot something suspicious. However, scammers don’t always create completely unrelated website addresses. Instead, they use domain names that closely resemble those of genuine businesses. A fake domain can be designed specifically to look legitimate.
Some common techniques include:
- Adding words such as sale, offer, outlet or India.
- Changing one or two characters in the original brand name.
- Adding or removing characters.
- Using hyphens in the domain name.
- Changing the domain extension.
- Combining a brand name with a festive or promotional keyword.
A website can look professional and still be fraudulent. This becomes particularly dangerous because customers often focus on the website design and offers without paying close attention to the actual domain name.
That’s why fake domain detection should be an important part of every brand’s digital protection strategy. Government data also shows that malicious and phishing domains are a recognised cybersecurity concern in India.
Between October 2023 and May 2024, 310 malicious or phishing “.in” domains were made non-functional through coordinated action. The government also reported that 91 phishing and fake websites had been made non-functional. (Source: Press Information Bureau)
These numbers highlight an important reality. Fake websites and malicious domains are not isolated incidents. They are an ongoing digital threat.
4. How Lookalike Websites Create Trust
Customers don’t always verify a website by carefully checking its domain name.
Most people make a quick judgement based on what they see.
- Does the website look familiar?
- Does it have the brand logo?
- Are the products the same?
- Does the offer look genuine?
- Does the website have a payment page?
- Does it use HTTPS?
- Does the overall design look professional?
Scammers understand this behaviour and use it to their advantage. A lookalike website is built around familiarity. It may reproduce the visual identity of a legitimate business closely enough that customers assume they are interacting with the original brand.
This makes lookalike websites a serious brand protection concern. The risk isn’t limited to customers losing money on a fraudulent purchase. These websites can also collect personal information and potentially expose customers to further fraud.
One important thing to understand is that HTTPS alone does not prove that a website belongs to a genuine business. Even a fraudulent website can have an SSL certificate and a secure HTTPS connection.
So, the question isn’t simply whether the website has a secure connection. The real question is whether the website actually belongs to the brand it claims to represent.
5. How Ecommerce Infrastructure Can Be Misused
Modern ecommerce platforms have made it much easier for businesses to launch professional-looking online stores. Unfortunately, the same accessibility can also be misused by scammers.
With readily available website templates, ecommerce functionality, payment integrations, hosting services and content management systems, creating a convincing online storefront is no longer particularly difficult.
As a result, a fraudulent website doesn’t necessarily look suspicious at first glance. It may have professional product pages, shopping cart functionality, checkout pages, discount banners, customer reviews, shipping information and a mobile-responsive design.
This means that website quality alone is no longer a reliable way to determine whether an online store is genuine.
Recent threat research has identified more than 2,000 holiday-themed fake online stores operating around major shopping periods. These websites have shown repeated use of templates, urgency-based messaging and deceptive trust indicators.
For businesses, this highlights how quickly fraudulent ecommerce websites can be replicated and scaled.
6. Types Of Fake Websites Targeting Indian Customers
Not every fraudulent website operates in the same way. Some are designed to collect payments, while others focus on stealing personal information or misusing an established brand’s identity. Here are some common examples:
Fake Ecommerce Websites
These websites pretend to sell genuine products but may never deliver anything after receiving payment.
Lookalike Brand Websites
Websites that copy the appearance, branding and identity of an established business to make customers believe they are visiting the genuine website.
Fake Festive Sale Websites
Websites that use festival-related offers and attractive discounts to create urgency and encourage customers to make quick purchases.
Fake Outlet and Clearance Websites
Websites claiming to sell excess inventory, discontinued products or clearance stock, often using unrealistic discounts to attract buyers.
Phishing Websites
Websites primarily designed to collect login credentials, personal information or financial details from unsuspecting visitors.
Fake Campaign Websites
Websites that imitate promotional campaigns, contests, product launches or customer reward programmes to misuse an established brand’s identity.
While their methods may differ, they all have something in common – brand impersonation through a website or domain.
7. How Large Is The Problem In India
India’s digital ecosystem has grown significantly over the last few years. According to telecom data published by the Government of India, the country had 969.10 million internet subscribers in March 2025. By June 2025, this number had crossed 1 billion internet subscribers, reaching 1.00285 billion. (Source: Press Information Bureau)
This growth means more people are using digital platforms to discover brands, research products, make purchases, book services and share personal information. But a larger digital ecosystem also creates more opportunities for online brand abuse.
There isn’t one official figure that represents the total financial loss caused specifically by fake brand websites in India. The Government of India has also clarified that the National Crime Records Bureau does not maintain separate data on fraud through fake websites.
However, the available indicators show that the issue deserves serious attention. The government reported 5,252 suspect website URLs through the cybercrime reporting mechanism and coordinated action against malicious domains and fake websites.
It also reported that more than ₹2,400 crore had been saved through the financial cyber fraud reporting and management system across more than 7.6 lakh complaints at the time of its 2024 parliamentary response. (Source: Press Information Bureau)
For businesses, this isn’t just a theoretical concern. India’s digital economy is expanding, customers are increasingly dependent on online channels, and the opportunities for scammers to misuse established brands are growing alongside it.
This makes brand protection services focused on fake domains and lookalike websites increasingly relevant.
8. Industries Most Exposed To Fake Domains And Lookalike Websites
Not every industry faces the same level of exposure. Businesses with strong consumer recognition, high online traffic, frequent transactions, seasonal promotions or a large amount of customer trust attached to their brand are generally more attractive targets.
Let’s look at some of the industries that need to pay particular attention.
Ecommerce And Retail
Ecommerce and retail businesses are among the most obvious targets. Fake ecommerce websites can copy product listings, pricing, promotions, and brand identity to convince customers that they are purchasing from the genuine business.
The festive season makes this even more attractive to scammers because customers are already actively looking for deals.
Fashion And Lifestyle
Fashion, apparel, footwear, accessories, beauty and lifestyle businesses depend heavily on brand recognition.
A copied website combined with a fake domain can make an unauthorised seller appear legitimate.
Consumer Electronics
High-value products, frequent online searches and discount-driven purchases make electronics brands attractive targets for fraudulent websites.
A fake website can imitate a genuine product catalogue and advertise unrealistic discounts to attract customers.
Banking And Financial Services
Financial institutions operate in an especially sensitive environment because customers already trust their digital presence.
Fake domains and lookalike websites can imitate customer login pages, service pages, loan offerings, credit card promotions and other financial services.
India’s cybersecurity authorities continue to treat the BFSI sector as a major cyber risk environment, with dedicated threat reporting covering banking, financial services and insurance.
Travel And Hospitality
Travel-related scams become particularly relevant during holiday periods.
The Government’s cybercrime coordination centre has specifically warned about fake websites impersonating religious tourism services, hotels, guest houses, cab services and holiday packages.
Healthcare And Pharmaceutical
Healthcare brands operate on a high level of customer trust. Fake websites can misuse their brand identity to promote products, services, consultations, or other healthcare-related offerings.
The consequences can go beyond financial loss because customers may believe they are interacting with a legitimate healthcare provider.
Education
Educational institutions, training companies and professional education brands can also face fake admission pages, course websites, application portals and promotional websites.
Automotive And Mobility
Automotive brands, dealerships, rental companies and mobility businesses may face fake websites offering vehicles, bookings, service offers or unrealistic discounts.
Consumer Goods And FMCG
Large consumer brands have strong market recognition and widespread customer awareness, making their identity valuable to scammers.
Fake websites can take advantage of this familiarity to promote fraudulent products, offers or distribution channels.
The Common Factor
The industries most exposed aren’t necessarily the ones with the largest number of websites. They are the businesses where brand trust itself has commercial value.
When customers already recognise a brand, scammers don’t have to build credibility from scratch. They simply try to borrow the trust that the business has spent years developing.
9. The Real Business Impact Of A Fake Website
A fake website can create problems that go well beyond a single fraudulent transaction.
Loss Of Customer Trust
A customer who loses money through a website carrying your brand name may hold your company responsible. From their perspective, they believed they were purchasing from you.
Reputation Damage
Customers may post complaints online, contact your support team, or warn others about their experience. Even when your company has nothing to do with the fraud, your brand can become associated with the incident.
Revenue Leakage
Customers who believe they are purchasing from your business may end up buying from a fraudulent website instead.
Customer Support Pressure
Your internal team may suddenly start receiving questions about orders that your company never processed. This can create additional work for customer support and operations teams.
Data Risk
Fake websites may collect customer names, phone numbers, email addresses, and other personal information. This information could potentially be misused for further fraudulent activities.
Repeated Attacks
Getting one fraudulent website taken down doesn’t necessarily prevent another one from appearing. Scammers can register a new domain, reuse existing brand assets, and launch another lookalike website.
This is why relying only on reactive brand protection can become expensive. The longer a fraudulent website remains active, the more opportunities it has to reach customers and misuse your brand identity.
10. Why Brands Often Discover The Problem Late
Many businesses only discover that someone is misusing their brand online after receiving a customer complaint.
By that point, the fraudulent website may have already attracted visitors, collected personal information, accepted payments, appeared in search results, been promoted through advertisements or circulated across messaging platforms.
The problem often comes down to a lack of visibility.
The marketing team may not be actively looking for fake domains.
The technology team may not be monitoring brand impersonation.
The legal team may not know about every fraudulent website using the company’s identity.
The customer support team may only become aware of the problem once complaints start coming in.
For a growing business, this creates a clear gap in digital brand protection. Brand protection needs to move from reactive discovery to proactive monitoring and action.
11. Why Brand Protection Is Becoming A Business Priority
A brand is no longer represented only by its physical stores, products, packaging, or advertising. Today, a brand exists across websites, domains, ecommerce pages, search results, digital campaigns and customer journeys.
This means protecting a brand also involves protecting the digital spaces where customers discover and interact with the business.
A fake domain can redirect customer attention.
A lookalike website can misuse years of brand-building efforts.
A fraudulent ecommerce website can create financial and reputational damage.
A phishing website can put customers at risk.
For businesses with a significant digital presence, brand protection is becoming an important part of overall brand risk management. The opportunity is particularly relevant in India, where the country’s internet subscriber base has already crossed the one billion marks. (Source: Press Information Bureau)
As the digital customer base continues to grow, businesses need better visibility into where and how their brand is being represented online.
How The Yellow Strawberry Helps Protect Your Brand
At The Yellow Strawberry, we provide specialised Website and Domain Protection services for businesses that want to safeguard their digital identity against fraudulent websites and domain-based impersonation.
Our focus is on helping businesses identify suspicious online activity, investigate brand misuse and take appropriate action against websites and domains that falsely represent their brand. Our services cover several important areas.
Fake Domain Detection
Identifying domains that use your brand name or variations of it to create confusion among customers.
Lookalike Website Detection
Finding websites that replicate your brand identity, website design, content, products or overall customer experience.
Fraudulent Website Identification
Identifying websites that may be falsely representing your business or offering products and services under your brand identity.
Brand Impersonation Investigation
Assessing suspicious websites and domains to understand how they are associated with your brand and the potential risks they create.
Evidence Support
Preparing relevant documentation and evidence to support complaints against fraudulent websites and domains.
Website And Domain Takedown Support
Coordinating with relevant infrastructure providers and other concerned parties to pursue the removal or disabling of fraudulent websites and domains.
Takedown Verification
Checking whether reported websites or domains have become inaccessible following the action taken.
Continuous Brand Protection
Monitoring for new fake domains and lookalike websites that may emerge even after an earlier threat has been addressed.
Our service is designed for businesses that understand one important thing – waiting for customers to report a fake website often means the damage has already started.
Across the cases handled by our team, we have achieved a reported takedown success rate of above 80 percent.
Actual takedown outcomes depend on the relevant infrastructure provider and the circumstances of each case. Our role is to provide specialised support throughout the process, from initial identification and investigation to enforcement support and continued monitoring.
Why Continuous Brand Protection Matters
Getting one fraudulent website removed doesn’t mean the overall threat has disappeared. A new domain may appear. Another lookalike website may be launched. Previously copied brand assets may be reused.
A new fraudulent campaign may target the same customer base. This is why fake domain detection and lookalike website monitoring shouldn’t be treated as a one-time activity.
For businesses with a significant online presence, brand protection needs to be an ongoing part of digital risk management. The objective isn’t just to respond when a customer reports a fraudulent website.
It’s to maintain visibility into how your brand is being used and represented across the internet.
Protect Your Brand Before Customers Find The Fake Website
Brand protection is no longer just about protecting a logo or trademark. It’s about protecting the digital environments where customers interact with your business.
A fraudulent domain can redirect customer attention. A lookalike website can misuse years of brand-building efforts.
A fake ecommerce website can cause financial and reputational damage. A phishing website can put customers at risk.
And as India’s digital economy continues to grow, established brand identities are becoming increasingly valuable to those looking to exploit customer trust.
At The Yellow Strawberry, our focus is Website and Domain Brand Protection. We help businesses identify fake domains, detect lookalike websites, investigate online brand impersonation and pursue website and domain takedowns.
Your brand has taken years to build. A fake website can misuse that trust in days. Get Your Brand Protected
