BrandShield’s Annual Holiday Fraud Report Reveals iPhone, Rolex and Gucci Are Top Targets for Scammers Ahead of Cyber Monday

NEW YORK, NY – BrandShield, the global leader in digital risk protection today announced its annual holiday fraud report on popular consumer brands. These findings come at a time when analysts expect a return to pre-pandemic shopping levels with estimated spending expected to hit around $960B this shopping season, and millions of deal-hungry shoppers hitting online stores.

Fakes, Fraud and Fashion: Luxury Brands Examined

BrandShield’s analysis examined top luxury apparel brands and corresponding domain registrations throughout 2023. Gucci recorded the highest number of new domain registrations (1417) among brands analyzed, accounting for 31% of the total, with Rolex (28%) and Chanel (27%) coming in second and third respectively.

Here’s a full breakdown of new domain registrations targeting luxury brands in 2023:

• Gucci – 1417 (31%)

• Rolex – 1270 (28%)

• Chanel – 1244 (27%)

• Louis Vuitton – 231 (5%)

• Rayban – 187 (4%)

• Hugo Boss – 182 (4%)

Fraudsters Take Aim at iPhone and Samsung Consumers

The report also examined fake domain registrations targeting popular consumer electronics brands. Apple’s iPhone witnessed the most registrations in 2023, accounting for a staggering 71% of domain registrations, with Samsung (19%) coming in at a distant second.

New domain registrations targeting consumer electronics brands are as follows:

• iPhone – 5811 (71%)

• Samsung – 1530 (19%)

• PlayStation – 464 (6%)

• Nintendo – 343 (4%)

“Our report underscores the relentless nature of fraudsters targeting popular consumer brands, as seen in years past,” says Yoav Keren, BrandShield’s CEO and Founder. “As we approach the biggest shopping event of the season, we’re seeing numerous websites impersonating top brands, and it’s more important than ever for consumers to stay vigilant while scouring the internet and marketplaces for the best deals.”

How can consumers identify and avoid online scams?

To help consumers combat the continued threat of e-commerce fraud, BrandShield advises adhering to the following tips while shopping online:

1. If the website URL contains typos, such as “saamsung.com” or “ray-bann.com” – it’s a scam.

2. If the website has spelling or grammatical errors throughout – it is likely a scam. Legitimate sellers will ensure that the website is free of such errors

3. If you receive a text or a direct message through social media offering a deal for a product that seems too good to be true – it’s likely a scam. Avoid clicking links in suspicious emails, texts, or social media messages.

4. If a website or company has many negative reviews – it may be a scam. Also, look for fake positive reviews trying to balance out real warnings from victims of the scam, and err on the side of caution when purchasing from unknown sellers.

5. If a website does not have a padlock image to the left of its URL – it is likely a scam. That being said, many phishing websites now have padlocks next to the left of their URLs, so this doesn’t necessarily indicate that a website is safe.

For more information on BrandShield, or to inquire about additional data found in the report, visit https://www.brandshield.com/.

About BrandShield

BrandShield is a leading cybersecurity company founded in Israel by cybersecurity experts that protects the world’s largest brands and consumers from online scams, phishing attacks, impersonation, and other online threats posed by dangerous cybercriminals. Through its AI/ML platform, BrandShield identifies, tracks, and eliminates online threats for global brands and organizations, including Bristol Myers Squibb, Levi’s, New Balance, Bang and Olufsen, The Sandbox, and the Pharmaceutical Security Institute. To learn more about BrandShield, please visit the company website at https://www.brandshield.com/.

Contact Information

Eric Gonzalez

Media Contact

VSC for BrandShield

Contact via E-mail