Fake Shop Finder Updated as Holiday Shopping Season Heats Up
BERLIN – As consumers gear up for Black Week and the holiday shopping season, authorities are warning of a surge in fraudulent online shops designed to exploit bargain hunters.A free tool, the Fake Shop Finder, developed by the Baden-Württemberg consumer advice center, has been updated to combat increasingly elegant scams, including those operating on social media.
The rise in deceptive online stores poses a notable risk to shoppers seeking discounts, potentially leading to undelivered goods, inferior products, or financial loss. According to consumer protection advocates, fraudsters are capitalizing on the increased online activity during peak shopping periods like Black Friday and Christmas. The Fake Shop Finder aims to protect consumers by identifying and flagging potentially fraudulent websites.
The tool allows users to enter a shop’s web address and receive an immediate assessment of its legitimacy, checking for elements like a valid imprint and location outside the EU. Since its launch in 2022, the Fake Shop Finder has identified tens of thousands of fake shops and has been used approximately 7.25 million times nationwide.
“We are observing that the operators of fake shops are acting more and more professionally and are advertising on social media,” stated Hauk of the Baden-Württemberg consumer advice center.The recent update now analyzes advertisements to identify fraud more quickly on social media channels.
Hauk and the consumer advice center urge shoppers to verify the legitimacy of online retailers before making purchases. The Fake Shop Finder is available at https://www.verbraucherzentrale.de/fakeshopfinder-71560.