How to Respond to Your Ecommerce Store Being Copied by Fraudsters

OPMC and MaxMind Partnership<br />Announces New Features for the WooCommerce Anti-Fraud Plugin
The internet is a powerful platform for ecommerce growth and success. However, it’s also rife with scammers and fraudsters who are always looking for ways to take advantage of users, as well as their trust in the online space.

One of the most common ways that ecommerce fraudsters target online businesses is by cloning your online store. This usually involves mimicking your WooCommerce website and products in an effort to trick consumers into thinking they are buying from your original brand. This can have a devastating effect on your brand reputation, not to mention your sales figures!

Let’s go over some quick steps to finding out if you have been cloned by a fake website, what actions to take, and how to prevent this from happening in the future.

What is an Ecommerce Clone?

An “ecommerce clone” is a website that looks exactly like yours and has been created to trick customers into buying from it instead of yours. This can happen when someone steals your design, product descriptions, and even customer reviews from your site and then uses them on their own site without permission or payment. In 2017 alone, there were over 46,000 examples of scams where ecommerce cloning took place.

The impact on businesses can be devastating. You could lose significant money because you didn’t know how to respond effectively. Your reputation can be negatively affected for years to come. Or, worst of all, the fake website could claim they are the original and force you to close your ecommerce business.

Your ecommerce store is a business, and like any other business, it must be protected from people trying to take advantage of you. You’re not alone in this fight. You need to protect and defend your investment just like any brick-and-mortar business.

Signs Your Ecommerce Store Has Been Copied

You may be wondering how to know if your ecommerce store has been copied. Here are some signs to look for:

  • The store is a clone of your site. If the new shop looks exactly like yours, with the same colours and layout, fraudsters have likely cloned it.
  • The platform on which both sites run is the same. This could be Shopify, Magento, BigCommerce, WooCommerce, or others.
  • The fake store has similar names or logos as yours, with only subtle differences.
  • Many of your images are being used by the fake site.
  • They don’t have any contact information listed, so there is no way to report them as fraudulent.
  • They have not taken the time to use secure connections like SSL certificates and HTTPS connections.
  • The domain name is a play on words or remarkably similar to yours.

If any of these things match up, then we recommend taking action as soon as possible to prevent harm to your reputation and sales figures.

What to Do When Your Ecommerce Store is Copied

1 – Gather evidence

The first step to responding to a copycat is gathering evidence. You’ll need screenshots of the copied content so you can show it to whoever you report the issue to. If possible, take screenshots of both your original website and the copycat site side by side (this will help when comparing them).

You should also check that both websites have different domain names (e.g., “www.” vs “mrrr.”), as this is often an indicator of fraud or copyright infringement. Finally, take note of any other differences between your site and theirs. You want to check for copied content in any way so you can demonstrate the fraud.

2 – Contact the fraudsters directly

If you can, it’s worth trying to contact the fraudsters directly and demand they take down their copy of your store. This could be an example of someone not knowing how to get started and emulating your success to build their brand. It costs you nothing to give people the benefit of the doubt. However, set a time limit on how long you are willing to put up with the fraud. Maybe no longer than 2-3 days.

3 – Report the fraud

You can also report the copy to the relevant authorities. The platform where your store is hosted should be able to help you with this, and if not, then local law enforcement may be able to assist.

4 – Stay calm and professional

It’s essential to not take this ecommerce fraud personally. The fraudster is just trying to scam your WooCommerce site because they want money. They are not trying to hurt your feelings or make fun of your store.

Don’t let them under your skin. You have put in too much hard work to let someone like this derail your efforts. Stick to a professional demeanour and work through the issues one at a time until you find a good resolution.

Steps to Getting the Fraudulent Store Shutdown

1 – Verify this is a copy of your ecommerce store

Check the URL, design, products, and contact information. If it’s a copy, then you will see signs of plagiarism in these areas.

2 – Send cease and desist letters

The next step is to send a cease-and-desist letter to the fraudsters. This can be done by using an attorney or by hiring someone who knows how to write one on your behalf. If you don’t have those resources, you can find free versions online and mail them to both the host provider for that website and any contact information on the website.

3 – Report the fraud to search engines like Google, Bing, Yahoo, etc.

The third step is to report the fraud to search engines like Google, Bing, and Yahoo. Search engines are the first line of defence against this type of crime because they can quickly detect when a site has copied your content and shut it down. To do this, you’ll need to create an account with each search engine you want to report the copycat store.

4 – Monitor the web with occasional searches to ensure it doesn’t happen again

Monitoring the web is an integral part of maintaining your brand’s reputation. A few people will do this manually, but most e-commerce owners use automated tools to keep tabs on their sites.

The most popular tool is Google Alerts, which sends you an email every time someone mentions your business or product name in a new article online.

You should also claim your brand’s social media accounts, search engine profiles, and online directory listings. That way, no one can say they are the original, and you are the fake.

5 – Install a powerful anti-fraud plugin for your WooCommerce site

If you want to take a more proactive approach and prevent fraudsters from stealing your products, then it’s time to install a powerful anti-fraud plugin for your WooCommerce site.

We at OPMC have developed a robust Anti-Fraud WooCommerce plugin that will help with protecting your site by reducing the fraudulent orders and activity you receive. This can be blocking specific IP addresses all the way to assigning a numerical value to each transaction, so your prevention is automated.

Conclusion

Ecommerce site cloning is a big problem for online businesses, and it can be complicated to deal with. However, by following the steps outlined in this article, you should be able to handle any copying issues that come your way.

The reality is the more successful you are, the more likely you will experience fraudsters seeking to steal from your business. By implementing some preventative measures and monitoring your activity, you can ensure you have a successful ecommerce business for years to come.

Download WooCommerce Anti-Fraud today

WooCommerce Anti-Fraud assigns a score to orders as they are placed. The higher the score, the higher the risk of fraud.
OPMC Partners with Trust Swiftly

OPMC Partners with Trust Swiftly

Introducing New Features for the WooCommerce Anti-Fraud PluginAs ecommerce continues to grow, so does the sophistication of fraud tactics targeting online businesses. To combat this ever-evolving threat, OPMC has teamed up with Trust Swiftly, a leader in identity...

OPMC and MaxMind Partnership Update

OPMC and MaxMind Partnership Update

Announcing New Features for the WooCommerce Anti-Fraud PluginAs the ecommerce industry rapidly expands, fraud prevention has never been more critical for online businesses. With more opportunities for success come heightened risks, and fraudsters are evolving just as...

The Best WooCommerce Xero Integration Plugin from OPMC

The Best WooCommerce Xero Integration Plugin from OPMC

When OPMC Australia first visited the idea of creating a plugin for Xero, we were inspired to look into an area where there was a lack of quality accounting WooCommerce integrations. It didn’t take long to see that WooCommerce needed a more robust solution for Xero...

Detect fraudulent activities on the go!

Protect Your eCommerce Business with Anti-Fraud!

OPMC Partners with Trust Swiftly

OPMC Partners with Trust Swiftly

Introducing New Features for the WooCommerce Anti-Fraud PluginAs ecommerce continues to grow, so does the sophistication of fraud tactics targeting online businesses. To combat this ever-evolving threat, OPMC has teamed up with Trust Swiftly, a leader in identity...

OPMC and MaxMind Partnership Update

OPMC and MaxMind Partnership Update

Announcing New Features for the WooCommerce Anti-Fraud PluginAs the ecommerce industry rapidly expands, fraud prevention has never been more critical for online businesses. With more opportunities for success come heightened risks, and fraudsters are evolving just as...

The Best WooCommerce Xero Integration Plugin from OPMC

The Best WooCommerce Xero Integration Plugin from OPMC

When OPMC Australia first visited the idea of creating a plugin for Xero, we were inspired to look into an area where there was a lack of quality accounting WooCommerce integrations. It didn’t take long to see that WooCommerce needed a more robust solution for Xero...