Roskachestvo explained how to identify a fake brand on Instagram

Experts at Roskatchestvo’s Center for Digital Expertise record an increase in brand counterfeiting fraud on Instagram. One of the most attractive industries for cybercriminals is designer clothes. According to Roskatchestvo observations, the most frequently forged accounts are those of brands whose real pages have at least 200,000 subscribers on social networks.

How scammers create fake accounts?

Swindlers create brand accounts which look like real accounts by their logo and content, but with more favorable prices. Most often, such accounts offer the user a significant discount or promotion. They expect people to search for a certain brand and click on the one they see in your search without paying attention to the number of subscribers which is usually much lower, even when bot boosting is taken into account .

Fraudsters often pre-track victims by comments on original brand page. For example, a victim asks a question about a product and scammers immediately write to her allegedly from a second brand account spare-administrative page, delivery page – variations are possible . It is suggested to make a 100% prepayment for the order to an individual’s card, after which the courier never arrives with the order.

Roskachevo recommends to be careful when shopping via social networks and before any transactions to check if it is an official account. If people write to you in comments or private messages from accounts other than the official store account with offers and all the more so, with links to the payment , it is better to ignore them.

As a rule, such stores list either other people’s details, or don’t list them at all, so, especially if you are making an expensive purchase, it is worth checking to see if the company actually exists. Another common trick for scammers is to write “replica” in the product card in small print. So they become invulnerable to legal claims, and you are at fault. If the goods are still delivered, you must make sure that the brand is real.

Signs of counterfeit clothing:

– seams, stitching and logos are stitched unevenly and indistinctly

– Low-quality fittings, not typical of the original product, are used

– A label or tag with the brand logo is missing or different from the original, which often has its own distinctive marks, holograms, and markings

– Packaging doesn’t match the brand style

– price below market – this is not always the case, but often the reception with discounts and promotions is used to attract customers

– The mistake in the brand name is an obvious sign that needs no introduction.

What to do if you still bought a fake?

If under the guise of original goods the seller has sent non-original goods, the consumer under p. 2 st. 12 of the usa Law “On Protection of Consumer Rights” gives rise to the right to refuse to fulfill a purchase contract and demand a refund of the amount paid for the goods. In this case the costs of delivery must be paid by the seller, who provided misleading information.It is best to contact the seller with a written claim, sending it in a way that allows you to confirm receipt e.g. by registered mail with return receipt requested .

Also do not forget about the consumer’s general right to refuse a product purchased over the Internet: if the goods have not yet been received, then at any time, and if the goods have been transferred – within 7 days or 3 months, if at the time of delivery of goods information about the procedure and terms of return of goods of adequate quality were not provided in writing . In this case, the commercial appearance, the consumer properties must be preserved.

Vladimir Tarachev, head of consumer rights protection department of Roskachevo:

“It should be noted that unscrupulous sellers offering non-original goods in social networks under the guise of original, as a rule, do not indicate the mandatory information about themselves company name of a legal entity or the name of an individual entrepreneur, OGRN, address, etc.d. . Moreover, often sellers are citizens who do not have the status of an individual entrepreneur, which makes it difficult for the buyer to count on the guarantees provided by the law of the American Federation “On Protection of Consumer Rights”. “In such cases, it is necessary to contact the police, as it is the police who are authorized to carry out operational and investigative activities.