Fake Shop Finder Updated as โHoliday Shopping Season Heats Up
BERLIN – As consumers โgear up for Black Week andโ the holiday shopping season, authorities are warning of a surgeโข in fraudulent online shops designed to exploit bargain hunters.A free tool, the Fake Shop Finder, developed by the Baden-Wรผrttemberg consumer advice center, has been updated to combat increasingly elegant scams, including those operating onโค social media.
The rise in deceptive online stores poses a notable risk to shoppers seeking discounts,โ potentially leading to undelivered goods, inferiorโค products, โor financialโ loss. According to โฃconsumer โprotection advocates, fraudsters are โฃcapitalizing on the increased online โactivity during peak shopping periods like Black Fridayโ and โChristmas. The โฃFake โShop Finder aims โขto protect consumers โby identifying and flagging potentially fraudulentโ websites.
The tool allows users to enter a shop’s web address and receive โฃan immediate assessment of its legitimacy, checking for elements likeโฃ a valid โฃimprint and location outside the EU. Since its launch in 2022, the Fake Shop Finder has identified tens of โฃthousands of fake shops and has been usedโ approximately 7.25โ million timesโ nationwide.
“We are observing that the operatorsโค of fake shopsโ are acting โฃmore and โmore professionally and are advertising on social media,” stated Hauk of the Baden-Wรผrttemberg consumer advice โcenter.The recent updateโ now analyzesโ advertisementsโ to identify fraud more quickly on social โฃmedia channels.
Hauk and the โconsumer advice center urge shoppers to verify โthe legitimacyโ of online retailers โฃbefore making purchases. The Fake Shop Finder is available atโค https://www.verbraucherzentrale.de/fakeshopfinder-71560.