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Brand Protection

brand protection

Why Your Brand Needs An OSINT-powered Brand Protection Tool?

MENA, Blog, Brand Protection /

As brands shift further into digital channels, the threats are rising too. These risks reveal an alarming statistic with 3.6 million products getting seized for trademark violations in the MENA region.  Even the most prepared brands are surprised by how fast digital threats evolve. Traditional guardrails provide a foundational protection, but fraudsters are now using AI to fasten the process, which can be missed by manual checks. This doesn’t mean your brand is vulnerable; it simply means it’s the right time to upgrade your protection.  These challenges not just hit your revenue but also impacts your brand reputation, which you had taken years to build. Due to the strict regulatory guidelines for advertisers in the MENA region, it is imperative for brands to ensure that their communication and assets are protected and compliant. Relying solely on manual checks makes it difficult to spot these sophisticated tactics in time.  As the gap between traditional defenses and modern fraud methods continues to grow, only automated brand monitoring tools powered by Open-Source Intelligence can bring back the trust and confidence in digital advertising.  In this blog, you will discover –  The hidden digital threat undermining brand trust in MENA  The impact of ignoring digital brand protection in MENA  From manual checks to real-time visibility  Key takeaways for marketers  Conclusion  Types of Digital Threats Impacting Brands in the MENA region Your digital presence shapes how customers perceive you, locally and globally. However, various hidden threats lie beneath that slowly damage your digital growth. Let’s know them in detail –  Fake websites and brand impersonation Fraudsters create fake websites or illegitimate social media pages of brands. These fake pages often run ads or sell counterfeit products, diverting genuine traffic and damaging customer trust. In regions like the MENA where e-commerce is rapidly expanding at a rapid scale, such impersonation can easily confuse new buyers and erode years of brand credibility.  Trademark infringement There are various unverified resellers or influencers who use various brand assets like logos, product images, or taglines without approval. While it may appear as free promotion, this often leads to misinformation, incorrect pricing, or false discounts being circulated. This generates inconsistent brand messaging, directly impacting the brand’s reputation.  Coupon and affiliate link misuse Unapproved use of the brand’s coupons and affiliate links is one of the fastest growing challenges brands are facing. Fraudulent affiliates leak coupon codes or reuse tracking links across unauthorized platforms, leading to revenue diversion and false attribution. Brands end up paying commissions for organic or direct sales, while real affiliates lose credit for genuine conversions.  Read in detail about various kinds of affiliate fraud  Phishing scams Fraudsters run phishing scams by impersonating trusted brands or people and tricking victims into revealing sensitive information. They send convincing-looking emails, texts, or messages that use brand logos, urgent language, and fake links or attachments that lead to cloned websites or prompt credential entry.  Non-compliant ad content In the MENA region, as norms are tightening, adhering to regulatory guidelines has become a new mandate. If any violation like undisclosed sponsorships or exaggerated claim against regulatory standards, occurs, this can cause hefty penalties and loss of credibility for brands.   Counterfeit product listings Fraudsters list low-quality products in a brand’s name on various e-commerce platforms. This not only steals sales but also damages. Innocent customers who purchase goods assuming them as original ones suffer the most and the blame falls in the brand’s court.    How Brand Infringement Threats Impact Your Brand? Digital brand protection is not just a safeguard from brand infringement threats—it’s a business-critical pillar. Without it, brands may face several consequences:  Loss of consumer trust Due to fraudulent tactics like misleading ads, fake discounts, and counterfeit product listings, customers get tricked and their trust erodes, restricting them to make other purchases from the same brand. Revenue Diversion Fraudsters divert revenue that rightfully belongs to your brand through organic poaching. This not only affects sales but also drains your ad budgets with no real returns. Read in detail about organic poaching Eroded Brand Reputation Misuse or illegitimate use of the brand’s trademarks damages brand’s reputation. Such misuse dilutes your brand identity and creates mixed signals in the market. Compliance Risks In the MENA region, where compliance is the utmost priority for brands, non-compliant campaigns, misleading claims, or lack of mandatory disclosures (like affiliate tagging) expose your brand to regulatory scrutiny. This can lead to legal penalties, public backlash, and long-term reputation damage. Operational Strain Managing take-down requests, legal actions, customer complaints, and reputation recovery consumes significant internal bandwidth. This operational burden distracts teams from growth and innovation.  Why Brands Need an OSINT-powered Brand Protection Tool? Manual monitoring can’t match the scale or speed of modern fraud. That’s why it’s essential to adopt advanced solutions like mFilterIt’s digital brand protection solution, Sentinel+, which enables brands to stay in control without constant manual effort.  Omni Channel coverage Monitors unauthorized brand use or impersonation across websites, marketplaces, and social channels to instantly spot fake websites, impersonation pages, counterfeit listings, and unauthorized use of your brand assets. Early detection ensures quick action before these threats mislead consumers or damage your brand. Flagging non-compliant content Identifies misleading or non-compliant content that could result in reputational or regulatory damage. By scanning ads, listings, posts, and promotions, your brand can catch false claims, unapproved creatives, and missing disclosures. This prevents misinformation from spreading and protects your brand from legal exposure. Affiliate performance track Tracks affiliate and partner activity to ensure fair attribution and prevent fraudulent promotions through continuous monitoring of how affiliates are promoting your brand, making it easy to flag suspicious traffic patterns, coupon misuse, hidden redirects, or inflated conversions. This ensures affiliates are rewarded fairly and fraudsters are kept out. Real-time Visibility Safeguards brand equity by continuously monitoring where and how your brand is represented online, maintaining consistent and accurate brand messaging across channels. It ensures that every touchpoint—from product listings to influencer posts reflects your brand guidelines and strengthens your market presence. Enhancing customer trust Protects consumer

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A Brand Protection Solution

8 Questions You Need To Ask While Considering A Brand Protection Solution

Blog, Brand Protection /

According to a recent study by Menlo Security, 51% of browser-based phishing attempts involved some form of brand impersonation. Moreover, cybercriminals created nearly 1 million new phishing sites each month, a 700% increase since 2020.  This means, fake websites, counterfeit listings, social media impersonations, and trademark infringements are multiplying faster than ever – stealing traffic, revenue, digital identity, and most importantly, trust.  But what’s more alarming is how these threats are evolving with the emergence of AI.   Fraudsters now use AI-generated content, automation, and deepfakes to create near-perfect replicas of brand assets – from product images to verified social media profiles in just minutes. What once took days of manual setup can now be executed at a scale with minimal human effort.  Unfortunately, many brands are still fighting these modern threats with outdated methods. Some rely on manual monitoring and basic takedowns that can’t match the speed of AI-powered fraud. Others invest in single-channel protection, monitoring only marketplaces or social media, leaving other digital fronts completely exposed.  Now brand infringement threats are not linear but takes place across multiple touchpoints; therefore, brands need to have complete visibility across all those touchpoints.   This brings us to a critical question every brand must ask:  How do you choose the right brand protection solution, one that’s built for today’s evolving digital threats and not yesterday’s challenges?  In this blog, we’ll walk through the 7 key questions every business should ask before selecting a brand protection tool, and what you should expect in return if you want true, end-to-end protection for your brand.  8 Questions to Ask While Choosing a Brand Protection Solution  Choosing a brand protection solution isn’t just about buying another security tool; it’s about choosing the right partner to safeguard your brand’s identity, trust, and customer relationships.  1. Does it offer omnichannel visibility and scalable protection? Your brand is visible across multiple platforms – from marketplaces and social media to search engines, mobile apps, paid ads, and third-party websites. Every digital touchpoint is part of your brand’s identity and customer experience, and each of these are an entry point for fraudsters.   A fake listing on a marketplace, a cloned website running paid ads, or an impersonated social media page can all damage customer trust in minutes.   That’s why a truly effective brand protection solution must provide omnichannel visibility, not just monitoring one or two platforms, but continuously scanning the entire digital ecosystem where your brand interacts with customers. It should detect misuse across ecommerce platforms, social networks, search ads, domains, video content, and app stores, giving you a single, unified view of every potential risk.  2. Does it use AI, ML, and OSINT to detect sophisticated threats? Modern brand infringement threats are not just limited to creating fake websites or misuse of brand logos. It has evolved and become more sophisticated with the emergence of AI. Now create deepfakes of reputed celebrities, or ads, using just a few prompts. In case of investment firms, it expands to promotions of fake investment schemes, stock recommendations, etc. The solution must be able to identify all types of brand infringements across platforms.   It should combine AI, ML, and Open source intelligence to enable wide-net scanning across the open web, marketplaces, social platforms, and even hidden channels, detecting brand infringements that might otherwise go undetected.   3. Can it detect lookalike brand impersonations and not just exact copies? Fraudsters have now moved beyond just replicating exact copies of brand websites or other assets. They now create lookalike versions by slightly altering a domain name, tweaking a logo color, or mimicking your writing style, to deceive customers while staying under the radar.  An advanced brand protection solution should be equipped with visual similarity detection, linguistic analysis, and pattern-recognition algorithms that go beyond exact-match searches. These technologies help identify deceptive variations such as “amaz0n.com” instead of “amazon.com” or fake profiles that reuse brand imagery with subtle alterations. 4. How accurate and actionable are the insights?  Digital threats evolve fast, and threat detection and identification are only useful when they lead to clear, actionable outcomes. When assessing a brand protection solution, you need to look at the accuracy of its detection engine, how effectively it separates genuine threats from noise.   The right solution should offer risk scoring, prioritization and real-time proofs, helping your compliance team act faster on high-impact threats. The focus should be on precision, not volume, ensuring your enforcement team spends time removing real threats, not reviewing false positives.  5. Can it take swift and successful takedown actions? Detection is only helpful when the action against the infringement is taken fast. An effective brand protection tool should not only identify infringements but also remove them effectively.  When evaluating a tool, ask how fast the system moves from detection to enforcement.   Do they have pre-established partnerships with marketplaces, social media platforms, and domain registrars to speed up takedowns?   Are their processes automated, or will your team need to raise manual requests each time?   How much time does it take to enforce a takedown?  The right solution should offer faster resolution once an infringement is detected. It should also be equipped with automated escalation workflows backed by legal and compliance expertise. End-to-end visibility, so you can track every enforcement action from detection to resolution, ensuring 24/7 protection and preserving your brand reputation before any violation causes lasting damage.  6. Can the solution adapt to your industry’s unique challenges? Every industry and every brand has its own unique challenges and might face distinct infringement patterns. Luxury brands deal with more counterfeit cases, while financial brands face more phishing scams or investment fraud. On the other hand, FMCG brands might face issues like similar packaging products being sold by resellers, etc.   Therefore, the ideal brand protection solution must be able to cater to your specific requirements. Ask the provider whether the tool tailors its detection models, risk thresholds, and reporting to your industry-specific needs. Also, ask for real client case studies or testimonials to

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Why should investment firms evaluate content by Direct Selling Agents?

How Misleading Promotions by Direct Selling Agents Can Harm Investment Firms

Blog, Brand Protection /

For investment advisory firms, maintaining compliance is the utmost priority. Every communication that goes from their desk should be transparent, accurate, and compliant with the set of guidelines by regulatory bodies like SEBI. Any misrepresentation of investment deals/offers even unintentionally can lead to reputational damage and hefty penalties, therefore compromising the trust of the investors.   However, as financial distribution expands through networks of Direct Selling Agents (DSAs), maintaining this standard has become increasingly challenging. Many of these agents today actively promote products and services across social media platforms, using the credibility of established financial institutions to reach wider audiences. While this helps drive awareness and lead generation, it also opens the door to non-compliant and misleading content — posts that promise unrealistic returns, use unverified data, or carry no disclaimers.  For instance:  A direct selling agent running an Instagram ad saying, “Earn up to ₹10,000 daily by investing with this app — zero risk guaranteed!” A Facebook post claiming, “Instant loan approval in 5 minutes — no documents required!” while displaying the logo of a well-known NBFC. Or WhatsApp forwards misuse brand names to offer “exclusive investment schemes” that don’t even exist. Such communication not only misleads investors but also puts the parent brand at reputational and regulatory risk, even when the content wasn’t created or approved by the company itself. Under SEBI and RBI guidelines, any claim that is guaranteed, misleading, or lacks disclosure is strictly prohibited — yet the decentralized nature of social media makes such content hard to monitor and control.  This blog examines why keeping a check on DSA-led communication is now a critical compliance priority, how these misleading promotions often go unnoticed, and what financial institutions can do to monitor, detect, and control such activity before it causes real harm — to both the investor and the brand.  How Direct Selling Agents Knowingly or Unknowingly Risk Brand Credibility? Even the most trusted direct selling agent networks can turn into a compliance risk if their communications aren’t monitored effectively. Here are some of the common fraudulent methods used by DSAs and network marketers to attract investors:  1. Fake Testimonials & Fabricated Reviews Unauthorized direct selling agents might share fake testimonials, client success stories, or edited screenshots of high returns, etc., creating a false expectation to mislead investors into investing in fraudulentor fake investment schemes under the name of reputed brands.  2. Unauthorized Trade Stock Recommendation, Tips & Advice Unauthorized agents present themselves as brand-endorsed advisors and circulate stock picks, investment advice, and trading recommendations, often claiming them as exclusive analysis.  This not only misrepresents the firm’s analysis to mislead investors but also leads to legal violations.  3. Unapproved or Misleading Claims Direct selling agents often use statements like “guaranteed 90% accuracy” or “no-loss investment opportunities” without any factual basis. Such claims not only violate brand communication guidelines but also breach SEBI norms.  4. Misuse of Brand Identity or Assets Fake direct selling agents promote investment schemes, services, or trading channels on social media platforms by using official logos, colors, or names of financial brands to gain investor trust immediately. This kind of impersonation not only erodes brand authenticity but also confuses investors.  Know how to mitigate the risk of brand infringement  5. Use of Fake Referral Codes Direct selling agents use unauthorized and unapproved referral codes on social media platforms like Facebook and YouTube etc., to promote fake demat openings or investment accounts under the brand’s banner, resulting in fake leads or data, and phishing scams that brands are eventually blamed for.  6. Unauthorized Trade Account Handling Services Some direct selling agents falsely claim to help investors open free demat accounts, offering account handling services or portfolios on behalf of investors. This directly exposes investors to fraud but also puts the legitimate BFSI brands at risk.  Why DSA Misconduct is More Than a Compliance Issue? Many financial institutions still view content monitoring for promotion materials shared by direct selling agents as a routine compliance task, something to check off periodically. But in reality, misconduct or misuse of messaging by these agents goes far beyond compliance concern; it directly impacts brand trust, investor confidence, and long-term business credibility.  When an investor is misled by a direct selling agent’s exaggerated claim, they rarely distinguish between the agent and the brand. The loss of trust falls directly on the institution. Moreover, such non-compliant promotions can also invite regulatory actions from regulatory bodies like SEBI, leading to penalties and restrictions.  Therefore, the lack of real-time monitoring can lead to reputational damage, which is even harder to recover from. A single viral post promising “guaranteed profits” can quickly spiral into social backlash, undoing years of credibility. On the other hand, the misguided investors who might have fallen victim of such false promises may withdraw their trust permanently.  Why is Traditional Compliance Monitoring Not Enough Anymore? Many investment advisory institutions rely on manual checks or self-reported content from direct selling agents to stay compliant. But in an ecosystem where hundreds of posts go live every day, this approach falls short. Here’s why the traditional model fails:  Speed of content: Social media moves faster than compliance can review. Manual monitoring cannot keep up with the volume and velocity of DSA-generated content.  Limited visibility: Brands often don’t have visibility into what DSAs post on their personal channels.  Evasion tactics: Misleading posts are often deleted within hours, before anyone notices, and by that time, the damage is already done.  Volume challenge: With hundreds of direct selling agents promoting investment schemes on multiple digital platforms, it gets harder for compliance teams to manually monitor all interactions in real time.  Therefore, the modern-day compliance challenges and tracking of direct selling agent violations require AI-driven vigilance, not reactive audits.  The Need of An Advanced Compliance Monitoring Solution To truly safeguard investor trust, BFSI organizations must adopt an advanced approach to ensure protection and detect DSA violations. Here’s how a compliance monitoring and fraud protection solution helps:  1. Compliance Monitoring Compliance monitoring ensures that every piece of agent-generated

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Digital Identity Theft in Banking

Fighting Digital Identity Theft in Banking: Lessons from Emirates NBD

MENA, Blog, Brand Protection /

Every day, customers trust banks with their most valuable asset: their digital identity. But what happens when that trust is targeted by fraudsters? In the MENA region, where the banking sector is booming at a 9.8% CAGR, digital impersonation and brand infringement are no longer rare—they’re a growing threat that can erode customer confidence and damage reputations overnight.  Fraudsters create fake accounts, clone websites, and impersonate financial institutions, triggering compliance risks, financial losses, and long-term trust deficits that are far costlier to repair than to prevent.  In this blog, you’ll discover:  The rising threat of brand impersonation in the MENA banking sector  Why traditional monitoring often fails against evolving infringement tactics  A step-by-step overview of mFilterIt’s OSINT-powered brand protection  Case Study: How Emirates NBD safeguarded their digital integrity  Why OSINT-driven brand protection is essential for banks to protect customers and reputation  Understanding the Rising Threat of Brand Infringement in the MENA Banking Industry Brand infringement in banking has seen a contagious evolution with sophisticated, omni-channel impersonation campaigns deceiving customers and damaging a bank’s credibility.  These digital threats take many forms:  Fake banking apps and websites that mimic legitimate platforms to harvest user credentials and financial data. Impersonated social media accounts posing as customer service channels to extract personal information or redirect users to malicious sites. Fraudulent job or loan offers leveraging a bank’s name and logo to collect sensitive documents and scam applicants. Deceptive investment or reward campaigns that promise high returns or bonuses while diverting funds to fraudulent accounts. Unauthorized use of brand visuals in phishing emails or SMS campaigns, misleading customers into sharing confidential details and using them further, breaching the right to privacy. Why Traditional Monitoring Alone Isn’t Enough to Safeguard Banks? Traditional monitoring can track and identify only surface level scams however, as fraudsters, with their tactics, present more severe methods, it becomes important for banks to upscale their defences. Here’s why traditional systems fall short:    1. Limited visibility across dark web, social, and app ecosystems Traditional monitoring practices are limited to only surface level identification whereas the fraudster tactics are going deeper into underground forums, dark web marketplaces, and cloned mobile apps where scams are arranged. The inability of banks to have an omni-channel visibility makes them more prone to sophisticated crimes.  2. Manual validation that delays response to fast-moving scams Manual intervention once played a crucial role in handling the infringement cases. However, with scams now evolving and spreading at an unprecedented speed, it can no longer be the primary line of defence. By the time the manual validation arrives, scams have spread across multiple platforms, creating non-compliance problems in a highly sensitive banking industry.  3. Lack of AI-driven threat correlation across different channels Fraudsters do not aim at targeting single channel at a point of time, they target multiple channels simultaneously including websites, social media platforms, mobile apps, and messaging services. Without AI-driven correlation, it is nearly impossible to detect attack at the initial stage, making it difficult to respond effectively or prevent further spread.  4. Traditional systems often miss subtle threats Fraudsters exploit language variations, misspellings, or regional slang, and use slight changes in logos, fonts, or layouts to mimic brands. These nuances can deceive customers and bypass manual or rule-based detection, causing reputational and financial harm. 5. No real-time intelligence for proactive action Still waiting for the reports? They will be drafted once the damage is done and this drawback of manual validation can cost you millions. Hence real-time intelligence is critical than ever, enabling brands to act proactively. Without it, businesses face delayed mitigation, leading to increased customer exposure and major financial losses. How mFilterit’s OSINT-Powered Protection Guards the Digital Banking Ecosystem? Overcoming the limitations of traditional monitoring, at mFilterIt, our brand protection solution – Sentinel+, ensures your intellectual property remains fully under your control, keeping fraudsters at bay. Powered by Open-Source Intelligence (OSINT), Sentinel+ delivers proactive protection built on three core pillars.   Process to Identify Infringed Brand Assets: A Step-by-Step Overview 1. Identification Clients provide Sentinel+ with their official assets like logos, URLs, social media handles, YouTube channels, and instant messaging handles. Sentinel+ continuously scans these platforms to detect potential misuse or impersonation. 2. Classification Once potential infringements are detected, Sentinel+ categorizes and shares them with the client for review. The client then determines the status of each case, updating the system with entries for either the whitelist (safe) or blacklist (malicious). 3. Action URLs identified on social media, YouTube, or IM platforms are flagged for further action. Malicious or “suspicious” links are submitted for takedown or blacklisting, while legitimate or safe URLs are whitelisted and recorded in Sentinel+ for ongoing monitoring. Protecting Customer Trust: How Emirates NBD Leveraged OSINT to Stay Ahead of Brand Threats  As a data-first, digital-focused bank that proactively works to safeguard customer, Emirates NBD decided to partner with mFilterIt to strengthen its monitoring & protection framework.   Sentinel+ Intervention With an advanced OSINT-based brand protection solution, Sentinel+, notable impact was seen, and major misuses detected like –  51.14% of fake offers were detected.  27.16% were fake credit card offers.  18.76% were fake job promotions.  1.24% originated from sponsored ads.  1.23% were linked to fake social media handles.  0.47% were due to other types of misuse.  What did mFilterIt’s Advanced OSINT–Based Brand Protection Cover? Holistic Monitoring – Continuous, real-time scanning across websites, app stores, social media, messaging platforms, and marketplaces to detect potential threats wherever they emerge.  Multilingual Detection – Advanced coverage in English, Arabic, and regional dialects to identify even the most subtle attempts at brand misuse.  Visual Tracking – AI-driven recognition of unauthorized use of logos, colors, and brand identity to protect brand integrity.  Real-Time Alerts – Immediate notifications enabling banks to act proactively, preventing risks from reaching customers and safeguarding trust.  Why is it Important for Banks to Utilize OSINT and Maximize Customer Trust? Prevent Financial Losses – Proactively detecting scams, phishing, and impersonation helps avoid direct monetary damage.  Maintain Regulatory Compliance – Continuous monitoring of digital channels reduces the risk of breaches and be

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investment scams

What You Need to Know About Investment Scams & How Banks Can Protect Investors

Blog, Brand Protection /

Investment scams in 2025 don’t look like shady emails or obvious fraud. Instead, they have evolved into sophisticated digital operations that thrive on social media and messaging platforms like WhatsApp, Instagram, and Telegram. Scammers chat with potential investors, use easy-to-earn or money-doubling schemes targeting people who want to earn money quickly, senior citizens who might have recently retired, looking for investment opportunities, young or first-time investors, etc. The money is routed through mule accounts and personal UPI IDs that disappear without a trace. And unless these accounts are blocked in time, investors pay the price. Between January and August 2024, the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal (NCRP) logged 11,024 cases of investment fraud. For the same period in 2025, the number rose to 13,287 reported cases, showing a sharp year-on-year increase. Therefore, this isn’t just a consumer problem. As scammers are moving faster than ever, it is becoming more important for banks and financial institutions to ensure regulatory compliance, apply stronger checks, and block fraudulent accounts in time. What You Need to Know About Investment Scams in 2025? Social media has become one of the major modus operandi for investment scammers. Scammers who are not registered with SEBI (Securities and Exchange Board of India) attempt to attract investors through unregulated financial channels. They lure individuals by promising guaranteed returns on their investments. Here’s how it typically works: Scammers create fake social media pages and channels on instant messaging platforms like Instagram, WhatsApp, and Telegram. They pose as “financial advisors” or create groups around “quick wealth” or “money doubling” fraudulent investment schemes. Victims are persuaded to transfer funds directly into personal UPI IDs or bank accounts, bypassing regulated financial channels. Once payments are made, the scammer vanishes. Victims are left with no returns, no accountability, and no way to recover their money. Common Types of Social Media Investment Scams to Watch for Investment frauds on social media are becoming more common and more convincing. Therefore, it is important for banks to understand these patterns to ensure the safety of their customers as well as their own reputation. 1. Instagram money doubling pages Professional-looking profiles mimic investment advisors, promising unrealistic returns on money using schemes like ‘get-rich-quick’. These are often packed with fake testimonials and screenshots to create the illusion of credibility and authenticity. 2. Telegram high-return groups These are closed communities where admins promote exclusive, unrealistic returns. Payments are funneled into mule accounts designed to quickly disappear once money is collected. 3. WhatsApp chat scams Fraudsters initiate private conversations acting as investment agents, slowly building trust before pushing victims toward transfers. Also read about types of social media phishing techniques used by fraudsters today. How to Detect Investment Scams Early: Warning Signs Banks Should Watch For Detecting scams early is critical. Here are some patterns that indicate a high risk of fraudulent activity: Detecting investment scams at the account level: UPI IDs or accounts tied to multiple suspicious social media pages. Sudden spikes in small transfers into newly created accounts. Payment instruments linked to unverifiable or suspicious identities. Detecting investment fraud on social media: Channels or groups promising guaranteed or extraordinary returns. Fake testimonials, manipulated screenshots, or reviews that appear too good to be true. Banks that can spot and act on these signs early can prevent large-scale online investment scams. How mFilterIt Helps Banks Prevent Investment Scams Early Accounts or UPI Ids used by scammers often exist in isolation, and traditional fraud monitoring solutions often fall short in detecting investment scams before they take place. And by the time pattern emerges, investors have already lost their money. However, our proprietary brand protection solution – Sentinel+ by mFilterIt bridges this gap using a proactive, intelligence-led approach designed for the speed and sophistication of today’s scams. Here’s how it works: Sentinel+ deploys a bot to engage directly with scammers, posing as potential victims in WhatsApp chats, Telegram groups, or Instagram DMs. Through these conversations, they extract crucial details such as UPI IDs or account numbers, and payment instructions. Once this information is gathered, it goes through human validation to ensure accuracy before any action is taken. Once confirmed, the verified details are passed on to banks, who can act quickly to block fraudulent accounts at the source to prevent any further damage. This automated process fastens the system, enabling banks to move faster than scammers, shutting down fraudulent payment channels before more investors are targeted. Conclusion: Detect Fraudulent Investment Schemes with Brand Protection Solution Online investment scams in 2025 are fast-moving, highly convincing, and difficult for individuals to spot. If left unchecked, these schemes can result in significant financial losses and erode trust in the financial ecosystem. However, with brand protection solutions like Sentinel+, banks can combine AI-driven monitoring, protective bots, and human validation to outpace scammers. The result is a financial ecosystem where investors feel safe, regulators see proactive compliance, and banks strengthen their reputation as trusted guardians of digital finance. It’s time for you to act now to prevent investment frauds, safeguard your investors, and strengthen trust.

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rise-in-brand-infringement-scams

Rise in Brand Infringement: How Brands Can Stay Protected This Festive Season

Blog, Brand Protection /

It’s the busiest time of the year… Especially for ecommerce brands, when shoppers are eagerly browsing, ready to shop, spend, and convert. And at this moment, the buzz has already begun, users have already started wishlisting what new products they need to bring home this festive season. Brands are all geared up to make the most from festive sales like Flipkart’s Big Billion Days, Amazon’s Great Indian Festival, Meesho’s Mega Blockbuster Sale, etc. But are you aware, it’s the most wonderful time of the year for whom? Fraudsters and scammers. E-commerce brands are highly targeted by fraudsters during the festive season. mFilterIt spotted more than 1600 suspicious domains and fake websites appearing on ad networks mimicking known e-commerce platforms, dedicated to phishing and selling counterfeits. This is just one part of the bigger problem. Festive season fraud in India has evolved far beyond the occasional fake product listing. Today, cybercriminals run full-fledged operations, registering lookalike domains, cloning brand websites, impersonating customer service representatives, and creating social media ads that look almost indistinguishable from those of the real brands. Around 45% of Indian consumers report that they or someone they know has been targeted by a deepfake-based shopping scam, and over half of these victims, about 56%, ended up losing money to the fraud. Source: Times of India. So, how do brands ensure protection against brand infringement scams to safeguard their integrity in the market and among consumers? In this article, we’ll break down types of brand infringements targeting Indian consumers during the festive season and explore how both shoppers and businesses can protect themselves. We’ll also look at how brand protection solutions help e-commerce platforms keep the festive spirit safe. Why Festive Season Is Prime Time for Scammers? A report by the Anti-Phishing Working Group (APWG) found that phishing and brand impersonation attacks spike by up to 70% during peak shopping seasons. This means that when customers are highly energetic, lured, and distracted by discounts, fraudsters are busy making their fraudulent operations look more legitimate than ever. Here’s why the number of scams surges during this time of the year:  Shoppers are in a hurry – Limited-time deals, flash sales, and midnight offers push customers to act fast. This urgency often means they skip basic checks like verifying seller authenticity or double-checking website URLs.  Massive ad spend boosts brand visibility – Brands invest heavily in festive marketing across channels. Fraudsters hijack this visibility by copying creatives, mimicking landing pages, and targeting the same ad keywords to divert traffic.  Fear of missing out drives impulsive clicks – Festive campaigns create a “buy now before it’s gone” mindset. Fraudsters exploit this by using phishing sites, listings, and even emails that look identical to official ones, banking on consumers’ lack of attention.  Customers’ trust in brands – Customers expect big discounts during festivals like Diwali, Independence Day, etc., from the brands they know they can trust. This high trust level lowers their skepticism toward unusually cheap offers, making it easier for scammers to mislead them.  Volume of activity makes monitoring harder – With brands handling high order volumes, launching new SKUs, and running multiple campaigns, it becomes harder to track every marketplace listing, social ad, or new domain in real time, giving scammers a window to operate.  Therefore, the lack of vigilance from both brands’ and consumers’ results in an increase of brand infringement cases and lost brand integrity, sales, as well as customer trust.  Common Types of Brand Infringement Attacks You Need to Know About Several brand infringement patterns repeatedly surface during festive sales. Below are some things you need to be aware of:  1. Fake Websites, Typo Squatting, and Lookalike Domains Fraudsters register domains that closely mimic brand URLs (swap letters like replacing ‘O’ with a ‘zero’, add prefixes/suffixes, use similar TLDs) and build landing pages that copy official branding, logo, and product images. These pages are then promoted by running fake ads across platforms, SMS links, or mass phishing campaigns promising 50-70% discounts. So, customers land on convincing checkout pages and complete payments that never reach the real brand.  2. Counterfeit and Unauthorized Marketplace Listings Unauthorized sellers list fake or low-quality replicas of legit products under a genuine brand name. These listings often come with heavily discounted prices to lure buyers who end up buying substandard goods, leading to a poor experience and loss of money.  According to a joint study conducted by Crisil and the Authentication Solution Providers Association (ASPA), counterfeit goods account for roughly 25–30% of total products sold in India. The problem is particularly severe in the apparel and FMCG industries, where counterfeit selling reaches about 31% and 28%, respectively. Source: Business Standard 3. Social Media Impersonation and Fake Promotional Accounts Fake Instagram pages, cloned Facebook profiles, or fake WhatsApp customer service numbers are commonly used to run festive promotions. Scammers create accounts that visually mimic the brand, run paid ads, or DM followers with limited-time coupon codes that lead to phishing websites or fake storefronts. This not only steals immediate sales from the brand but also floods their original account with angry customers requiring PR and customer-care bandwidth to resolve issues and re-establish trust.  According to research conducted in 2024, 31% of consumers admitted that they are likely to purchase from sellers discovered on social media if the offer seems appealing, leaving them particularly vulnerable to brand impersonation fraud. Moreover, nearly 47% of Indian consumers have encountered scams involving forged celebrity endorsements or questionable online retailers on social media platforms. Source: McAfee  How Brand Infringement Scams Hurt Consumers and Brands: The Ripple Effect The first and most direct victims of brand impersonation attacks are consumers. The festive season makes shoppers even more vulnerable. Major impacts include:  Financial losses – Customers end up paying for products that are never delivered, or receive counterfeit goods of little or no value. Refunds are rarely possible because scammers disappear once the transaction is complete.  Compromised personal data – Fake websites and phishing campaigns collect sensitive information such as credit card numbers, addresses, and login credentials. This

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brand impersonation

Brand Impersonation in Religious Tourism: Key Insights for Devotees and Platforms

Blog, Brand Protection /

Over 50 fake websites. 111 mobile numbers. 56 fraudulent bank accounts. All linked to scams targeting devotees booking their Char Dham yatra online — and this is just one example.  As spiritual tourism surges in India, with millions relying on websites and apps to plan pilgrimages to destinations like Vaishno Devi, Maha Kumbh, and Char Dham, an old but evolved threat is growing – online brand impersonation. What was once a simple, faith-led journey is now at risk of being derailed by cybercriminals who mimic trusted travel platforms. They create lookalike websites, fake payment links, and social media pages, tricking users into believing they are booking through legitimate services.  The Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C) has already issued public alerts urging religious tourists to stay vigilant. These scams don’t just harm the devotees — they damage the credibility of genuine platforms and erode user trust at scale.  This isn’t a future threat — it’s already here. And with every major pilgrimage season, the risks continue to grow.  Brand Safety Threats Happening in the Religious Tourism Sector As digital touchpoints expand, so does the surface area for exploitation.  Fraudsters using fake websites and impersonating authentic brands have become one of the most dangerous threats in this space. They exploit the high emotion and urgency surrounding sacred travel to deploy a range of deceptive tactics:  Phishing websites that mimic trusted travel and temple portals to get personal details and payments  SEO-optimized fake domains that hijack search intent for popular queries like book Kedarnath pass, Vaishno Devi helicopter booking, or Char Dham registration, etc.  Fake social media accounts impersonating official handles to sell fake tickets, VIP access, or spiritual services  Fraudulent UPI links and QR codes shared via messaging apps or fake pages, redirecting donations or service payments to mule accounts  What makes these scams especially dangerous is how believable they appear. By using copied logos, cloned app designs, and emotionally persuasive language, impersonators blur the line between real and fake, leaving even cautious users vulnerable.  This is why brand impersonation in religious tourism must be addressed not just with cybersecurity, but with empathy, accountability, and active brand protection solutions.  Impact of these Digital Travel Scams on Pilgrims Religious tourism is personal; it represents not just travel but hope, healing, and spiritual fulfillment. When that journey is derailed by deception, the consequences run far deeper than monetary loss.  These aren’t just unfortunate incidents. They carry a profound emotional toll:  Elderly individuals and first-time travelers often fall prey due to lack of digital awareness and lose their savings  Families find themselves stranded at religious sites, unable to redeem fake bookings  Faith itself is shaken when sacred moments are ruined by online fraud or brand impersonation  How Does it Impact Businesses? Victims who fall prey to online fraud often don’t blame the scammer; they blame the brand they thought they were engaging with. This leads to anger, confusion, and a growing distrust in the very platforms meant to make spiritual travel easier.   Here’s how real brands are made to pay the price for something that wasn’t their fault:  Online reviews and brand perception take a hit, even when the business isn’t directly involved  Organic traffic drops, as fraudulent domains intercept search queries meant for legitimate platforms  Customer support costs increase, with teams overwhelmed by complaints and confusion  Trust broken in this space is difficult to rebuild  Brand impersonation, in this context, is not merely a security issue. It’s a humanitarian concern. It undermines dignity, targets vulnerability, and disrupts sacred intentions. For businesses it stalls growth, erodes market confidence, and weakens brand equity over time.  How can Platforms solve Brand Impersonation Scams? With the threat that directly impacts without any warning, travel brands must act decisively. Protecting pilgrims in the digital world is not just a technical challenge; it’s a moral responsibility.  Here’s what responsible, forward-thinking travel and religious tourism platforms must prioritize:  1. Proactive Digital Surveillance Monitor the digital ecosystem for lookalike domains, fake APKs, and SEO-optimized scam websites.  Set event-based alerts during high-traffic seasons like Maha Kumbh and Amarnath Yatra, etc.  2. Sentiment-Based Fraud Detection Understand behavioral triggers driven by faith, urgency, and trust using AI-based solutions.  Train fraud models to detect yatra-specific scams like VIP access, prasad bookings, and donation drives, etc.  3. Monitor Payment Gateways & UPI Trails Detect mule accounts and unauthorized UPI handles collecting funds for fake services.  Track sudden spikes in suspicious transactions across digital wallets and UPI IDs.  4. Track Social Media Impersonation at Scale Scan platforms for fake pages and profiles promoting fraudulent offers or campaigns.  Flag impersonators running paid ads with misleading links.  5. Strengthen Official Communication Channels Educate users to recognize verified domains and official handles.  Proactively publish alerts, FAQs, and safe navigation guides for devotees.  6. Collaborate with Experts and Law Enforcement Partner with brand protection experts and integrate brand protection solutions like Sentinel+ by mFilterIt in your strategy.  Share fraud insights with cybercrime agencies, CERT teams, registrars, and hosting providers.  7. Make Brand Protection a Core Business Function Treat brand safety as an essential part of your customer trust strategy, not just a reactive task.  Integrate protection protocols across marketing, customer service, and tech infrastructure.  Success Story: How mFilterIt Ensured a Cybersafe Maha Kumbh 2025 with Brand Protection Solution Maha Kumbh 2025, one of the world’s largest spiritual gatherings, drew millions of devotees to Prayagraj. As the event scaled digitally, it became a high-value target for cybercriminals exploiting trust, sentiment, and urgency.   Amid this, the challenges that emerged were:  Fake domains impersonating official Maha Kumbh portals. Fraudulent services offer fake tent bookings, helicopter rides, and VIP access. Phishing campaigns are executed via fake social media accounts impersonating organizers. Scam donation drives leverage emotional messaging to divert funds. Counterfeit entry pass sales.   mFilterIt’s Multi-Layered Cybersecurity Approach Cyber Patrolling to continuously monitor digital platforms  Fake/APK App Detection to identify unauthorized app clones  UPI/Banking Fraud Detection to trace mule accounts and block fake payments  Keyword & Domain Intelligence to track impersonation using

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Brand Bidding Monitoring: Improve Campaigns & Reduce CPC by 21%

Blog, Brand Protection /

Marketers spend heavily on building a brand presence both organically and with paid search campaigns. However, despite creating a holistic approach with well-crafted ads, optimized landing pages and targeted brand keywords, their efforts are giving desired results, and they see a high a cost-per-click (CPC). One of the causes can be bidding on branded keywords by competitors or even worse your affiliates or ad networks. And the surprising fact is that this scenario is quite a common practice. A well-known skincare brand recently faced similar challenges when they saw their CPCs skyrocket due to their ad networks partners outbidding them on their own branded keywords, impacting their profitability and scalability. In this blog, we’ll dive deep into the consequences of affiliate brand bidding and offer key takeaways for performance marketing managers running search campaigns on branded keywords. The Problem: Rising CPCs and Decreasing ROAS When you’re running a branded search campaign, you expect to see a high return on investment. After all, these are the keywords that directly relate to your brand name, so the traffic is highly relevant. But in many cases, what you don’t expect is for ad networks and fraudulent affiliates to target your branded keywords, pushing up the cost of each click and impacting the efficiency of your campaigns. This was the case for a leading skincare brand that faced inflated CPCs due to their partnered ad networks bidding on their branded keywords. As ad networks began competing for these highly intended branded keywords, the price of their own brand keywords became highly competitive, resulting in a 25-30% increase in CPCs, especially during high-demand periods like sales events. This not only eroded the brand’s profitability but also made it more difficult to scale their search efforts. The Impact of Brand Bidding on Ad Campaigns When ad networks or affiliates bid on your branded keywords, they effectively raise the bid price, driving up the cost of your own ads. Here’s why these matters: -Increased CPCs: Higher CPCs can eat into your budget, especially during high-demand sales periods when competition intensifies. A rise of 25-30% can drastically reduce the number of clicks you can afford and negatively affect your ad spend -Decreased ROAS: With higher CPCs, your ROAS takes a hit. You’re paying more for each click but not seeing the same level of return, making your campaigns less profitable and harder to scale. -Loss of Control: As ad networks and affiliates continuously bid on branded terms, brands lose control over their own brand’s visibility in search results. Their ads become buried beneath competitors, decreasing the chances of appearing at the top of search results and gaining quality traffic. -Sustainability Issues: Without addressing brand bidding, you may face challenges in scaling your search efforts. The higher your CPCs are, the more you spend to maintain performance, limiting your ability to expand your campaigns or reach new audiences. The Solution: Brand Protection and Proactive Monitoring In the case of this skincare brand, the solution lay in leveraging a holistic brand safety solution for affiliate campaigns that could monitor and restrict unauthorized bids on branded keywords. By partnering with mFilterIt, they were able to implement a comprehensive strategy to reclaim control over their search campaigns. Here’s how the solution worked: -Real-Time Detection: The brand protection solution identified competitor bids on branded keywords in real time, enabling the brand to take immediate action before their ad spend was impacted further. -Detailed Reporting: Regular, detailed reports provided the brand with visibility into where and when competitors were bidding on their keywords, giving them the opportunity to restrict such bids and prevent escalating CPCs. -Proactive Action: Armed with real-time data, the brand was able to act swiftly, limiting unnecessary costs and optimizing their campaigns to ensure maximum ROI. Key Results and Benefits: -Cost Reduction: After implementing the brand protection solution, the brand saw a 21% reduction in CPCs within just a month. During a peak sales period, the brand was able to optimize its search campaign and reduce unnecessary ad spend. – Enhanced ROAS: With the cost of clicks under control, the brand saw an increase in their ROAS, regaining profitability and improving their overall performance metrics. – Significant Savings: The brand saved close to ₹40,000 per day by preventing competitors from bidding on their branded keywords. These savings could then be reallocated to other marketing efforts, contributing to more sustainable growth. Takeaways for Performance Marketing Managers Running Branded Search Campaigns – Monitor Brand Keyword Bidding Regularly: You need to stay vigilant and constantly monitor your branded keywords. If you’re not tracking who is bidding on your brand keywords, you could be unknowingly inflating your costs. Regular monitoring ensures that you remain in control of your search budget. – Take Immediate Action Against Unauthorized Bidding: As soon as you detect that competitors or affiliates/ad networks are bidding on your branded keywords, take immediate action to restrict them. A proactive approach can help you minimize additional spending and protect your brand’s search visibility. – Leverage Brand Protection Tools: A brand protection solution provides the real-time insights and detailed reports necessary to effectively manage brand keyword bidding. These tools can help you act quickly, prevent unnecessary costs, and optimize your campaigns for better efficiency. – Understand the Impact of Rising CPCs on Scalability: As CPCs rise, your ability to scale campaigns becomes limited. If your search campaigns become too expensive, you may find it difficult to maintain the same level of growth. By managing brand bidding, you can keep CPCs in check and scale your campaigns more effectively. – Prioritize Sustainable Growth: High CPCs are not only a short-term issue—they can affect your long-term campaign sustainability. Addressing brand bidding issues early on allows you to allocate resources effectively, ensuring that your campaigns remain profitable over time. Way Forward Brand bidding is a silent campaign killer, but it doesn’t have to drain your ad spend or ruin your ROAS. By understanding the impact of competitor bids on your branded keywords and implementing proactive brand protection

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social media

Why You Need to Protect Your Brand on Social Media?

Blog, Brand Protection /

Making a brand reputation for exceptional quality and high standards helps your firm stand out in today’s competitive industry. If your reputation or brand representation is harmed by social media, the brand will suffer more than just financial damages. You also risk missing out on significant possibilities to engage with new clients and build your business in the future. Online brand protection includes a range of practices that help the brand to stay aware of where and how their brand is used. In case of misuse of brand name or assets, with a proactive brand monitoring process brand can protect their brand integrity. In the digital space, brands are vulnerable on every platform, including social media platforms.   Let’s dive into this blog where we explain the types of brand threats on social media platforms and how to overcome them.   Why You Need to Protect Your Brand on Social Media   On social media, brand protection goes beyond just brand monitoring. It is essential for a brand to ensure that its assets are being used properly by affiliate partners and to identify any misuse of its brand name or logo. So, when your social media accounts and presence are abused, your brand becomes a tool for any risks with your customers via links claiming to be from the company, compromising your brand integrity. This happens because these social media profiles might imitate the brand, posing a direct danger to your business.   As a result, if your brand is abused on social media and used for phishing attacks, your products and services become less appealing to potential customers, and you lose their trust.   Risks Brands Face on Social Media   Brands available on social media face numerous risks, including fake accounts claiming to be brand assets or unauthorized use of trademarks. Negative publicity, phishing scams, and customer data breaches can harm reputation and trust. Additionally, regulatory non-compliance or inappropriate content can result in legal penalties.    -Detecting Brand Impersonation and Fake Account: Phishing attackers often create fake accounts using genuine brand names e which misleads the customers and damages brand trust. These accounts promote fake offers, scammy posts, counterfeit products, and phishing links leading to loss of money for the brand’s customers. Unaware of the phished assets, the customers are under the assumption that they have been duped by the brand. -Counterfeit Products: Scamsters tend to exploit social media platforms to market fake goods using a brand’s name which can destroy a brand’s reputation and result in loss or reduced revenue for the brand. -Data Leaks and Phishing: Social media platforms such as Instagram and Facebook are often used in targeting phishing attacks under brands identity which directly compromise brand authenticity with other important data that can lead to a widespread effect on the brand and followers. -Monitoring Customer Feedback: Presenting wrong information or promoting misinformation campaigns or fake reviews impacts the brand’s face value and online authenticity. Having viral negative publicity can spread rapidly making real-time monitoring essential. Benefits of Brand Protection Suite for Social Media   Here’s how an effective Brand Protection Solution can protect your online presence, increase customer trust, and keep your brand’s reputation intact. Here are the main benefits:  -Real-Time Monitoring: Brand protection Tool help monitor social media platforms to detect unauthorized content, fake accounts as well as trademark violations. Having real-time alerts helps brands to act swiftly and mitigate potential threats or damage caused. -Automated Enforcement: Tools also tend to offer takedown services for counterfeit listings, impersonation accounts, and brand-infringing content. This helps in streamlining the process of maintaining brands’ online integrity. -Enhanced Customer Trust : By proactively protecting the brand, companies can foster a safer environment for their customers. Customers are more likely to trust brands that demonstrate a commitment to their online safety. -Safeguard brand image: Brand infringement tools will help identify and address negative sentiments and misinformation before they escalate. Sentinel+, a brand protection tool, provides comprehensive analytics into brand perception and suggests areas for improvement.    Key Features to Look for in Brand Protection Tools   When choosing a brand protection tool for your brand, prioritize features that provide extensive coverage, ease of use, and proactive threat detection. We have combined some key features that you must look out for when choosing a brand protection tool:   -Multi-Platform Coverage:  An ideal brand protection tool should be able to provide a holistic view of your brand’s presence covering multiple platforms including Websites, dark-web, marketplaces, listing platforms etc.   -User-Friendly Dashboard: Having a centralized dashboard helps significantly by tracking and managing incidents across different platforms.   -Ensures Compliance and Precise Reporting: Brand infringement tools offer detailed reports and ensure compliance with platform policies and legal regulations and add significant value. Tools like Sentinel+ by mFilterIt also have man-in-loop investigation which ensures the preciseness of the brand safety and infringement reports.    -Use of Open-source intelligence: OSINT or Open-source intelligence technology helps in tracking typo spotting, and detecting unauthorized usage of brand logos, slogans, and names. It also helps in analyzing marketplaces for news and social media posts or counterfeit products that are unauthentically available online with the brand name. This technology also helps in identifying fake social media profiles claiming to be your brand. Data from OSINT helps in making decisions such as taking down any social media profile or blacklisting it from all digital platforms.  Sentinel+ by mFilterIt provides a holistic protection across all platforms and enables brands to take proactive action against digital threats. Using open-source intelligence, the tool enables brands to keep a check on where their brand assets are used and takedown them in less than 48 hours. Real-time reporting helps the brand to make decisions against brand asset abuse and protects them to avoid any reputation or legal repercussions. Real Case: Learn how one of the leading real estate company in India protected their brand reputation with active brand monitoring  One of the biggest real-estate companies countered severe issues with trademark infringement on social networks and the web. The expansive digital

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Brand Infringement

The Impact of Fake Websites & Counterfeit Products on Ecommerce Marketplaces

Blog, Brand Protection /

During the festive season, along with the endless offers and discounts, a threat lurks in the shadows in the form of counterfeit products and fake websites. Impersonating and infringing assets of popular brands, fraudsters dupe gullible customers into buying inferior or counterfeit goods, which not only brings about financial losses to the brand. It also, to a certain level, impacts the reputation it has built for so long.   Adding to the challenge is the ease with which fake web sites that are replicas of authentic e-commerce stores trick buyers and create a sense of mistrust in the online shopping platform. This emerging challenge of brand infringement must be addressed to protect not just brands but also consumers. What is Brand Infringement? Brand infringement occurs when unauthorized people use the identity of any brand, including logos, designs, or trademarks, without permission. The wrongful use of brand’s assets leads to confusion among consumers, loss to the original brand, and reduced of value of the brand. Brand infringement is not just selling pirated goods, but it also involves the exploitation of websites or misrepresentation or misuse of a brand’s intellectual property.  Type of infringement techniques used on major ecommerce marketplaces: Trademark Infringement A third party uses the logo, name, or slogan of a brand without any kind of authorization. It not only confuses the customer but also dilutes the reputation of the brand. Copyright Infringement Repeated copyright infringement here manifests in the form of reproduction, distribution, or public display of a copyrighted material, say, brand image, product description, or even marketing copy. Misuse of such a material harms a brand’s uniqueness, hence reducing its control over how its content is used.  Domain Squatting Also popularly known as Cybersquatting, is about registration of familiar brand domain names in order to mislead customers. Fraudsters might use such domains for fake stores or for the purpose of damaging the reputation of a brand. Typo-Squatting In this case, the scammers create sites using misspelled versions of the famous brand’s domain names. This could be ‘ammazon.com’ while the original domain is ‘amazon.com’. The user, not knowing how to differentiate between the real or fake one, may visit malicious sites with counterfeit products or phishing traps, and share their personal or financial information, leading to a financial loss and believing that they have been deceived by the brand. Therefore, further damaging the reputation of the brand.  In the face of increasing competition in the e-commerce sphere, brands must actively monitor and protect intellectual property in the digital space if they want to maintain their reputation and continue gaining customer trust.  Disclaimer: The example is used for reference purpose only.   Two Major types of Brand Infringement Fake Websites Fake websites are designed to deceive users into believing they are legitimate online stores or service providers. Often mimicking the look, feel and branding of well-known companies, these websites lure unsuspecting visitors into providing personal information, making purchases or sharing financial details.   The rise of e-commerce has made it easier for cybercriminals to create convincing fake websites leading to potential identity theft, credit fraud and data breaches. Many users fall victim to these scams due to the professional appearance of the sites complete with similar logos, domains, and content as the original brands.  How to spot a fake website  The website looks the same but has the wrong / similar domain name.  They provide unbelievable offers or discounts to the users like ‘up to 95% discount’, etc.  The website doesn’t work as expected, like some of the buttons don’t work, etc.  Download Android / IOS Apps from trusted sources only. Avoid shopping through suspicious links.  Counterfeits on Online Marketplaces  Counterfeit products pose a significant threat to brands. They damage brand reputation, erode consumer trust, and can lead to financial losses. In the case of counterfeit smartphones, the genuine brand’s image is tarnished as consumers associate it with substandard products. Moreover, counterfeit goods often infringe on intellectual property rights, impacting the brand’s innovation and market position.   As per reports posted by some financial institutions, Counterfeit products cost the global economy an estimated $500 billion per year. The trade in counterfeit goods is a significant economic loss, but the consequences go beyond financial implications.  How to identify counterfeits   They offer too-good-to be-true deals  There can be shady or poorly written reviews.  There can be fake logos and trademarks on the product  They provide unclear product description.  How to safeguard your brand from counterfeit and fake websites  By using these solutions proactively, protecting their brands, businesses not only preserve their reputation and revenue but also combat the broader issue of organized crime and fraud, which often underpins these illegal activities.  Brand Infringement Scanning & Takedowns  mFilterIt starts with identification process as part of 3 pillar approach followed by classification of infringement and swift action.  Client provides official logos, whitelist of official URLs, Social Media handles, YouTube Channels, IM handles etc.   mFilterIt scans various platforms with advanced AI, ML, and Open-source intelligence (OSINT) powered tech covering websites (via Search engines), social media platforms, YouTube, IM Apps. We automate the process with swift identification and share potential brand infringement instances for a swift takedown with the platforms.  It not only threatens brand reputation for brands but also for online marketplaces.   Counterfeit Products Scan  mFilterIt harvests data from the eCommerce platforms. Based on the attributes collected an analysis is undertaken. The analysis is presented as the product being good, fake and brand breaches.  Key attributes are analyses such as product URLs name in title, price violations, relevant keywords from reviews, unrecognized sellers, average poor rating, standard image, and PDP content.   Conclusion As e-commerce continues to grow, so do the risks of brand infringement in the form of fake websites and counterfeit products. These infringement activities not only damage a brand’s reputation but also undermine consumer trust and lead to financial losses. To protect their intellectual property, and ensure their brand’s integrity, businesses must be proactive in monitoring digital platforms for brand

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