The Dark Side of Going Viral – What Every Business Owner Must Know
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Martha Keith, founder of the stationery brand Martha Brook, faced an unexpected and overwhelming challenge this holiday season: scammers from China created fake listings for her popular advent calendar, leaving her to play detective. The real calendar, called the "24 Days of Stationery," sold out within two weeks, but fraudsters quickly launched 121 websites and hundreds of Amazon listings advertising the same product at a significantly reduced price. However, the fraudsters took customers' money without delivering anything.
The scammers stole Keith's professional images, social media videos, and product descriptions, making their fake listings appear authentic. They flooded Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok with highly convincing ads that garnered hundreds of thousands of views. One customer, a woman with secondary brain cancer, had planned to buy the advent calendar as a Christmas treat, only to realize she had been scammed. Despite the high number of victims, Keith struggled to get the police or social media platforms to act quickly.
Frustrated by the lack of action from authorities, Keith turned to her loyal customers, asking them to report the fraudulent listings they encountered. This customer-led effort helped Keith identify and send cease-and-desist letters to the scam websites. Though she received no responses, some sites were eventually taken down. However, the process was time-consuming and likened to a game of "Whac-A-Mole," as new fraudulent sites appeared as soon as others were removed.
Keith traced many of these fake sites to companies registered in the UK but managed by Chinese citizens. However, the registered addresses led to dead ends, such as occupied flats in Cardiff and Cambridge. Despite her efforts, many fake listings remain online, and authorities have yet to launch a formal investigation.
This ordeal has highlighted how scammers prey on small businesses, especially during high-demand periods, and how slow authorities and tech companies can be to respond. While some fraudulent ads have been removed, the fight continues.
Your key takeaways
Stay vigilant - Scammers often target fast-selling products during peak seasons, especially after a quick sellout. When demand is high, fraudsters create fake listings using stolen images and descriptions. As a business owner, it's essential to monitor the web and social media after a sellout to catch these scams early. Stay alert to any suspicious activity around your brand to protect both your business and customers.
Check Google regularly - A simple and effective way to spot scammers is by regularly Googling your product names. Fraudulent websites often pop up quickly, and a quick search can help you identify copycats using your brand. Set up Google Alerts to be notified of any new suspicious content that might be linked to your business.
Act fast - When you spot fake listings, act quickly. Report them immediately to the platform hosting them, but don’t rely on those platforms to act swiftly. Gather evidence, like screenshots, and consider sending cease-and-desist letters to protect your brand while waiting for further action from authorities or platforms.
Leverage your customer base - Your customers can be a huge help in identifying and reporting scams. Encourage them to report suspicious ads or listings and provide them with instructions on how to do so. A loyal customer base can act as an extended network to help monitor fraudulent activity, making it much harder for scammers to operate undetected.
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