Brand Protection - mfilterit

How Investment Scams Are Draining the Digital Economy and What Brands Must Do Now

Blog, Brand Protection / mFilterIt Experts

The internet promised democratised investing. Instead, it handed fraudsters a megaphone. In 2025, people lost $1.1 billion to investment scams on social media. That number doesn’t include what went unreported. (Source) Today’s scammer isn’t hiding in the shadows. They’re on Instagram, Telegram, and WhatsApp using your brand’s name, your logo, and your customers’ trust to run financial fraud at scale. And when victims realise, they have been cheated, they don’t blame the scammer. They blame you. This isn’t just a fraud problem. It’s a brand impersonation problem. The good news is brands can still tackle with right vigilance and catch scams before they reach customers. In this blog, you will discover – What is an investment scam and its modus operandi What are the types of scams happening around Checklist for brands to identify investment scams How brands can detect investment scams The way ahead for brands What is an Investment Scam and Its Modus Operandi At its core, an investment scam is a deception built on false promises. Fraudsters most of whom operate without any regulatory registration lure individuals with guarantees of extraordinary returns. They do not operate through authorised financial channels. Instead, they solicit investments by extracting personal bank details, UPI IDs, and informal payment methods, making it nearly impossible to trace through conventional means. The modus operandi behind major brand impersonation follows an alarming pattern: Step 1: Build a fake presence Scammers create fraudulent pages, channels, and handles across Instagram, Facebook, Telegram, and WhatsApp. These look credible complete with testimonials, market jargon, and often, the branding of legitimate financial institutions. Step 2: Reach victims at scale Using social media algorithms and unregulated financial groups, they push their content to thousands of potential victims simultaneously. A single Telegram channel can reach tens of thousands without any advertising spend. Step 3: Manufacture trust They engage with victims for days or weeks, sharing fake “proof” of returns, manipulated screenshots, and convincing success stories. By the time a victim invests, they believe thy are in safe hands. Step 4: Collect and vanish Payments are routed through personal UPI handles and bank accounts specifically opened for fraud. Once the money moves, it disappears into a web of mule accounts and the victim is left with no response, no returns, and no recourse. Investment Scams Warning Signs: Checklist for Marketers Following is the key checklist for brands to identify investment scam at an initial stage. Brands must look for – Social media handles impersonating your brand Domains mimicking your URL Ads running under your brand name that you didn’t place Fake customer support handles directing users to external payment links Scam groups or channels using your logo on WhatsApp or Telegram Guaranteed returns or “exclusive” investment opportunities linked to your brand Flash sales or limited-time offers on cloned websites How Brands can Detect Investment Scams? The scale of investment scams is expanding hence the solution must arm up too. For this, a solution that is holistic in nature must be brought in use – A three-step pipeline that works in the background with – Zero integration required Step 1- Discover: AI-powered scam detection across every platform Sentinel+’s automated data harvesters crawl public signals across the web and social platforms to surface individuals running investment fraud before victims lose money. Platforms covered: Google · Facebook · Telegram · WhatsApp · Instagram Step 2- Verify: Human-validated payment trail Trained analysts confirm that payment instruments bank accounts, UPI IDs, and VPA handles are genuinely linked to the flagged individuals. No false alarms reach your bank. Verified across: Bank accounts · UPI / VPA IDs · Human review layer Step 3- Act: Intelligence delivered directly to your bank Verified scammer profiles are packaged and shared with your bank. Accounts get blocked or flagged for action stopping the fraud before it scales further. Actions triggered: Account blocking · Fraud escalation · Direct bank handoff The Outcomes Scammers exposed: Fraud actors identified across platforms before they reach more victims Accounts blocked: Fraudulent payment rails shut down at the source Brand protected: Your customers stop losing money to scams using your name The Way Ahead: Action and Accountability Reactive brand protection is broken. By the time a complaint is filed, the fraudster has vanished — and your customer has already lost money. The answer is always-on surveillance, not faster damage control. Our brand protection solution deploys AI and ML-powered crawlers across Google, Facebook, Telegram, WhatsApp, and Instagram, detecting fake handles, fraudulent payment links, and scam channels the moment they appear. Flagged entities are instantly reported to the relevant financial institution, triggering account blocks before the fraud reaches scale. Human validation sits at the core of this process, confirming that linked bank accounts and UPI IDs are genuinely fraudulent before any action is taken. Speed without precision creates noise. The brands that earn lasting trust won’t be the ones who responded fastest. They’ll be the ones who made sure fraud never reached their customers in the first place. See how proactive scam detection works in real time Frequently Asked Questions What are the most common investment scams? The most common investment scams include fake stock trading groups, crypto investment fraud, guaranteed-return schemes, impersonation of financial brands, and scams promoted through Instagram, Telegram, WhatsApp, and fake websites. Fraudsters use fake testimonials, screenshots, and success stories to build trust before collecting money through personal bank accounts or UPI IDs and disappearing. What are the investment scams on WhatsApp? WhatsApp investment scams usually involve fraudsters creating fake investment groups or contacting users directly with promises of high returns through stocks, crypto, or trading opportunities. These scammers often impersonate financial institutions or experts, share fake profit proofs, and ask victims to transfer money through UPI or personal accounts. How do investment scams affect brands? Investment scams damage brands by misusing their name, logo, and reputation to deceive customers. When victims lose money, they often blame the brand being impersonated, leading to loss of trust, customer complaints, and reputational damage. What are the warning signs of an investment scam? Common warning signs include guaranteed returns, pressure to invest quickly, fake social media pages, unofficial payment methods like personal UPI IDs, and investment offers shared through Telegram or WhatsApp groups. How can brands detect and stop investment scams? Brands can detect investment scams using AI-powered monitoring tools that track fake websites, fraudulent social media

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Merchant Risk Monitoring in the Evolving Digital Payments Scenario

Blog, Brand Protection / mFilterIt Experts

Digital payments in India, led by Unified Payments Interface, are growing at an exceptional pace. Transaction values continue to rise year after year, reflecting how deeply digital payments are now part of everyday life. The graph below highlights this momentum, with transaction volumes growing YoY and an expected 300% increase in both transaction volume and rupee value by FY30 vs FY25. Emerging Trends: UPI payments are the key driver of this growth – with its ecosystem of participating Banks (~700), merchant ecosystem (~65 million) and serving nearly half a billion customers. UPI in terms of Volumes is expected to grow contribute ~85% in terms of rupee value of all digital payments by FY30. Add to this the 40 authorised TPAPs, the ecosystem is bound to flourish and is also insulated from external threats (eg. GPay, visa, mastercard shutting down in Russia); given that this is completely Made in India tech stack. A key component of UPI Payments is the Merchant Eco System – currently contributing ~30% of current value to ~63% in terms of Rupee value. Debit and Credit Cards comprising POS and Digital spends, expected to grow at a CAGR of 25%, with spends primarily coming from credit cards and increase penetration of UPI linked credit cards. The spends growth will be primarily driven by digital spends which is expected to be around 72-75% (FY30) from the current 63%. – this represents a a perceptible shift away from the traditional Brick and Mortar Merchant. Prepaid / Fastag & SI transactions is expected to see a steady growth with primary spends being digital in nature. Emergence of Fintechs, TPAPs, Payment Banks, Telcos once dominated primarily by banks and technology firms, the sector now attracts players from diverse fields such as retail, telecommunications, FinTech, and e-commerce, enabling cross-sector innovation and new market entrants. The above trends is a paradigm shift vis a vis what we have seen till a few years ago and brings with it, its own perils such as cybercrime and fraud risks. Cybercrime has evolved to such and extent that FY25 has seen a 24% spike in cybercrimes reported on the NCRP portal, with the rupee value of reported fraud loss being INR 22,495 crores. This is the reported numbers and the overall non reported instances could be approximated to be 1x in terms of rupee value. Given that this is majorly digital, the merchant eco-system plays a key role in the same; payment instruments like VPAs, underlying merchant accounts etc are used extensively as collections accounts to receive the proceeds of such crime or act as an intermediary in the laundering of such proceeds. Hence it is that much more imperative that there is a lot more focus on the kind of merchant who are being on boarded; given the digital nature of merchant spends and the ease at which the merchant can evolve post onboarding, a Life Cycle based Risk Management Approach is the need of the hour. Every merchant you onboard is a vote of confidence in your platform. But every transaction they process is also a new surface for risk. Hence, what starts at onboarding shouldn’t stop there; it needs continuous attention. In this blog, we will discover- How one-time checks are not enough in merchant onboarding How rapid growth in digital payments is increasing risk And how end-to-end merchant evaluation can make a real difference How One Time Risk Checks are not Enough in Merchant Onboarding? There is a traditional belief that all merchant risks can be tackled before onboarding and once the onboarding is completed, no merchant risks can travel, making the following, the key checkpoints of merchant onboarding – Verify business details Review website Approve and go live But as the digital payment ecosystem is growing more complex, merchant risk monitoring does not stop at onboarding. Assuming that merchants will remain compliant after initial checks is often unreliable. In reality, risks can emerge at any stage post-onboarding, such as – Change in website content Sale of restricted / banned / high-risk products Manipulate redirects or hidden flows Drift away from declared business categories All of this happens after onboarding, when visibility is often limited. How Scaling Digital Payments Elevates Risk in Merchant Onboarding While digital adoption is speeding up, it also brings in new risks that don’t just appear at the start, they continue throughout the merchant journey. More merchants mean: More variation in quality and intent More edge cases that manual checks miss Higher probability of fraudulent or non-compliant entities slipping through However, stopping the merchant ecosystem from evolving is not the solution- “Continuous Monitoring”, is. Why Onboarding Checks Alone aren’t Enough & How Continuous Monitoring Fills the Gap? Here’s how comprehensive and continuous merchant risk monitoring strengthens payment getaways, enabling them to fill the gaps created by just focusing on merchant onboarding – (also include business outcome) Onboarding-only monitoring limitations How holistic monitoring helps One-time snapshot of the merchant Continuous tracking of merchant behavior Misses post-onboarding risks Detects emerging risks in real time Relies on static documents Validates ongoing digital presence and activity No visibility into changes in offerings Flags deviations in products/services Cannot track compliance drift Monitors policy compliance risk continuously Misses malware or suspicious activity later Scans regularly for threats and anomalies Reactive issue resolution Enables proactive risk prevention Higher risk of regulatory/reputation impact Strengthens against compliance risk and brand protection End-to-End Merchant Evaluation: A New Outlook to The Merchant Life Cycle. Merchant onboarding now demands confidence that cannot be achieved without holistic evaluation of merchant lifecycle, one that goes beyond onboarding and keeps validating risk at every stage. That’s where mFilterIt’s approach and product offerings steps I; not only focussing on onboarding but also monitors and evaluates risk which may evolve at a later stage. Business & Operational Analysis We help you truly understand who you’re onboarding by looking beyond basic details-analyzing the business, verifying promoters, and checking location authenticity. Outcome: You onboard genuine, trustworthy merchants from the start. Pre-screening & Identity Verification We validate merchants using multiple signals like contact details, device, IP, and KYC documents to catch inconsistencies early. Outcome: Lower chances of fraud and stronger defence against compliance risk from day one. Website Risk Analysis (and beyond) We continuously monitor the merchant’s digital presence-checking website content, offerings, compliance, and any suspicious activity. Outcome: Early detection of risks and better control even after onboarding. Overall impact: You move from one-time checks to continuous visibility—helping you build a safer

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5,000+ LPG Booking Scam Accounts Detected: How Fraudsters Exploits Essential Services During Crisis

Blog, Brand Protection / mFilterIt Experts

Consumer behaviour shifts rapidly during times of uncertainty. People seek immediacy, convenience, and assurance, especially when it comes to essential services. Unfortunately, this urgency is exactly what fraudsters capitalize on. Our fraud detection experts identify various types of scams day in and day out. And what we have witnessed recently is not just another wave of financial fraud, but a shift in how fraud embeds into everyday customer journeys. We have identified scams related to LPG gas bookings due to the shortage, considering the critical situation outside. Fraudsters are leveraging a sophisticated mix of fake websites, phishing scams, social media posts, and messaging platforms to appear legitimate. This is a critical inflection point. Because, unlike traditional investment scams that rely on greed or high-return promises, these scams exploit need and necessity. They target consumers in moments of urgency, when trust is assumed without verification. How Fraudsters Operate Through LPG Booking Scams? Even scams during national events and crises like war situations, pandemic waves, and natural disasters, etc. follow a structured model designed to guide users from discovery to payments. Here’s how LPG booking scam works: Fake messages creating urgency and panic Fraudsters begin by creating panic-driven messaging such as “gas connection will be disconnected” or “limited stock available.” These messages are often linked to ongoing situations like shortages or supply concerns. The objective is to push users into taking quick action without verification. Creation of digital assets like fake websites, social media handles, etc. Once attention is captured, users are directed to fake platforms. These include lookalike booking websites, misleading landing pages, or sponsored links that closely resemble legitimate services. Their purpose is to create a convincing first impression and reduce suspicion. Bulk messaging-based attacks Fraudsters also rely heavily on messaging-based platforms like WhatsApp, Telegram, SMS, etc. to circulate fake booking links, payment links, and even KYC update requests, often framed as urgent actions that need immediate attention. This coordinated, multi-channel presence creates repeated exposure, making the scam appear more legitimate and increasing the likelihood of user interaction without proper verification. Customer care impersonation and call-based fraud In many cases, fraudsters directly interact with users by posing as customer support representatives or gas agency officials. They guide users step-by-step, using scripted conversations to build trust and create a sense of legitimacy. UPI fraud and unauthorized transactions Once trust is established, users are asked to make payments through UPI or bank transfers. These payment details are not linked to official entities, and funds are often routed through multiple mule accounts, making tracking and recovery difficult. Disappearance after payment and no service delivery After the transaction is completed, fraudsters cut off communication. The websites, phone numbers, or links used during the interaction become inactive, leaving users without any confirmation, service, or refund. Why The Rise in Digital Scams Demands a Broader Industry Response? Digital scams or investment scams are not just platform problems, nor solely regulatory challenges. But an ecosystem issue. Brands, digital platforms, regulators, and brand protection technology providers need to collectively rethink how trust is built and protected online. Because the question is no longer “Is this ad or website safe? It is now “Is this interaction authentic?” And that requires a fundamental shift from reactive moderation to proactive intelligence and continuous monitoring across the entire digital landscape. How mFilterIt Helps Identify Digital Threats Using OSINT Technology To tackle such evolving digital scams, the approach needs to go beyond surface-level fraud detection. Here’s how mFilterIt’s brand protection solution helps: Continuous monitoring across digital ecosystems including websites, search engines, social media platforms, and app environments, etc. to detect fake booking websites, phishing links, brand impersonation fraud, and malicious APK distributions. Identifies patterns and anomalies such as sudden spikes in crisis-related keywords (e.g., “urgent booking”), coordinated campaigns, and emerging fraud narratives linked to real-world events. Tracks misuse of brand names, government schemes, and crisis-driven messaging, helping uncover fake ads, sponsored scam campaigns, and misleading promotions designed to build trust. Analyzes social media and messaging platforms to detect fake posts, viral scam creatives, and coordinated disinformation campaigns, including how such content is amplified across networks. Combines AI-led intelligence with human validation to verify critical elements such as payment instruments, UPI IDs, bank accounts, and other suspicious activity signals. Maps complete fraud infrastructure, including linked domains, payment handles, phone numbers, and email IDs, to connect multiple fraudulent assets to a single organized network. Moreover, once fraud is detected. The brand protection solution also helps in: Reporting fraudulent assets to platforms, hosting providers, and domain registrars for takedown. Shares structured intelligence with law enforcement and relevant authorities, including fraud URLs, payment details, and evidence to support investigation. Enables faster identification and blocking of mule accounts, fraudulent payment channels, reducing financial loss and limiting further spread. Issues early warnings and alerts to help prevent large-scale victimization before such scams escalate. Conclusion: Staying Ahead of Evolving Digital and Investment Scams The rise of LPG booking scams highlights a larger shift in how fraud operates today, moving beyond traditional formats and embedding itself into everyday consumer journeys. As fraud becomes more contextual, fast-moving, and harder to detect, relying on reactive measures is no longer enough. Addressing this requires continuous monitoring, deeper intelligence, and faster action to identify and disrupt fraud networks before they scale. To stay ahead of evolving scams, start monitoring and taking action before fraud reaches your consumers. Get in touch with our brand protection experts today. FAQs What is an LPG booking scam? An LPG booking scam is a type of digital fraud where scammers impersonate gas service providers using fake websites, phishing links, or messages to trick users into making payments or sharing sensitive information. These scams often appear during high-demand situations or supply concerns. How does an LPG booking scam work? Fraudsters create urgency through fake messages, redirect users to lookalike booking websites, build trust via calls or messages, and then collect payments through UPI or bank transfers. Once the payment is made, they disappear without delivering any service. What is brand

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What is Brand Infringement? Its Types, & How to Keep Your Brand Protected in 2026

Blog, Brand Protection / mFilterIt Experts

When customers search for your brand online, they expect to find you. But sometimes, what they find instead is a fake version. A fake website, a counterfeit product, or an offer you never approved. This is the alarming reality brands face today. A brand’s value lies in the unique identity and reputation it builds with customers over time. They create digital representations that are instantly recognizable and trusted. However, that very identity is increasingly being misused by others for unethical and fraudulent gain. Brand infringement isn’t just about copied logos or trademark infringements anymore. It is now more prominent across marketplaces, social media, and other platforms designed to closely mimic genuine brands. What makes this challenge even more complex is how it unfolds if left unchecked — directly impacting customer trust, revenue, and long-term brand equity. Hence, the need to understand what is brand infringement, its types (to be able to identify immediately), and how to keep your brand protected from such threats. Let’s dig in. What is Brand Infringement? Brand infringement refers to unauthorized use of any brand’s trademarked assets, like logo, name, ads, creatives, domain name, products, or any other branding elements. The only goal is to create confusion, harm brand identity, or sell counterfeit products or services. In simple terms, if someone uses your brand identity to mislead customers, divert traffic, or profit unfairly, it comes under the umbrella term of brand infringement. Moreover, due to the expansion of ecommerce marketplaces, complex paid media ecosystems, social commerce, and AI-generated content over the years, it has become a much bigger challenge in 2026. Brand infringement today spreads faster, looks more authentic, and causes damage long before brands can react manually. Common Types of Brand Infringement With digitalization, violators have developed multiple ways to deceive the audience. Below are the most common forms of brand infringement brands face today: Trademark Infringement It is one of the most common forms of infringement. Trademark infringement occurs when a third party uses a brand’s registered name, logo, slogan, visual identity or a combination of the same that a company uses to distinguish its products, solutions, or services from others. Example: An admin of a Facebook group using the name of a legit travel brand without their permission to earn bookings. Read more to know how to protect your brand from domain infringement. Brand Impersonation Brand impersonation is when fraudsters pose themselves as genuine brands using fake websites, emails, messages, or accounts to deceive customers into transacting money, sharing personal data, or sensitive information. Example: A fake customer website claiming to represent banks, airlines, or ecommerce brands to scam users. Counterfeit Fraud Another type of brand infringement, counterfeit fraud involves selling fake or duplicate products on various marketplaces under a brand’s name without authorization, often mimicking original packaging, design, and branding to appear genuine to customers. Example: Fraudsters listing and selling duplicate products of a luxury brand like Gucci, Prada, etc. on ecommerce marketplaces. Copyright Infringement It is another major form of brand infringement. Copyright infringement involves unauthorized use of the original expressions and ideas of another seller. Violators produce counterfeit products or other assets that are visually identical to assets of an existing brand, created with no knowledge of the original brand. Example: Websites or sellers copying a brand’s product descriptions, blogs, videos, or marketing creatives to appear legitimate or improve visibility without authorization. Typosquatting Typosquatting occurs when infringers register domain names (also known as domain squatting) that are slight misspellings or variations of a brand’s official website to mislead users and redirect them to fake websites, counterfeit products, or scam pages. Example: Fake websites with domain names amaz0n.com selling duplicate products under original brand name. Cybersquatting Cybersquatting involves registering or using domain names that include a brand’s trademark with the intent to profit from it, often by reselling the domain, running ads, or redirecting traffic for commercial gain. Paid Media & Search Infringement Paid media infringement happens when third parties misuse a brand’s name or trademark in online ads to divert traffic, inflate ad costs, or mislead users into visiting unauthorized or deceptive landing pages. Example: Affiliates bidding on brand keywords in search ads and redirecting users to competing websites or fake promotional pages. App Infringement App infringement is when fraudsters make fake or misleading mobile applications using a brand name, logo, or identity to trick users into downloading apps, sharing personal information, and making transactions. Example: Malicious apps claiming to offer rewards, cashback, or services under a well-known brand’s name. Social Media Infringement Social media infringement includes fake brand accounts, unauthorized influencer promotions, or misleading giveaways that misuse brand identity to gain followers, engagement, or financial benefits without brand’s approval. Example: Fake Instagram accounts running giveaways using brand logos and visuals to collect personal information from users. The various forms of brand infringement call for high awareness of a brand’s digital surroundings, strict vigilance, and proactive brand protection practices. Get your complete social media brand protection checklist. How to Prevent Brand Infringement? In 2026, brand protection is no longer about reacting to individual incidents; it requires a structured, proactive, and continuous approach. Secure Your Brand Foundations The first step to prevention is ownership and clarity. Brands must ensure their trademarks are registered across key markets and categories, especially where they actively operate or plan to expand. Alongside trademarks, owning critical domain variations and safeguarding brand assets such as logos, creatives, and messaging helps reduce opportunities for misuse at the source. Without strong foundational control, enforcement becomes difficult and inconsistent. Maintain Control Over Your Digital Presence Brands today operate across marketplaces, apps, search engines, and social platforms. Enrolling in marketplace brand protection programs, verifying official social media accounts, and maintaining clear ownership of apps, landing pages, and customer touchpoints ensures customers can easily distinguish between genuine and fake brand interactions. This visibility also makes it easier to identify misuse early. Educate Internal Teams and External Partners Brand protection is a shared responsibility. Marketing teams, ecommerce managers, affiliates, agencies, and resellers

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

Blog, Brand Protection / mFilterIt Experts

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

Blog, Brand Protection / mFilterIt Experts

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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How Misleading Promotions by Direct Selling Agents Can Harm Investment Firms

Blog, Brand Protection / mFilterIt Experts

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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Fighting Digital Identity Theft in Banking: Lessons from Emirates NBD

Blog, Brand Protection / mFilterIt Experts

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

Blog, Brand Protection / mFilterIt Experts

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: How Brands Can Stay Protected This Festive Season

Blog, Brand Protection / mFilterIt Experts

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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