Fake or cloned Shopify stores are an increasing problem for merchants and customers alike. These scam websites copy legitimate brands to trick shoppers, steal payment details, or collect personal information.
At SecureCommerce, we help Shopify merchants detect and remove cloned or fake stores before they harm your customers and your brand.
What Is a Cloned or Fake Online Store?
A cloned store (also called a fake Shopify store or scam site) is a fraudulent website that copies the design and content of a legitimate eCommerce business. Scammers reuse store layouts, products, and even your logo to appear authentic.
Their goal is simple: to intercept traffic and payments meant for your real store, or to capture credit card and login details from unsuspecting shoppers.
Example: someone duplicates your Shopify storefront, hosts it on a new domain, and starts collecting payments under your name — all without your knowledge.
How to Identify a Scam or Cloned Shopify Site
| Warning Sign | What You’ll Notice | Why It Matters |
|---|---|---|
| Copied storefront | Another site looks exactly like yours — same images, layout, and branding. | Customers may believe they’re shopping with you and hand over their data. |
| Look-alike or typo domain names | Small variations like securcommerce.io instead of securecommerce.io. | Confuses customers and enables phishing. |
| Suspicious search results | Google results showing “discount,” “clearance,” or “support” pages that don’t belong to you. | Indicates scam ads or indexed clone pages. |
| New SSL certificates | Recently issued SSL certs using your brand name. | Makes fake sites appear secure via the padlock icon. |
SecureCommerce continuously monitors these signals and alerts you when a suspicious domain or clone is detected.
Examples of Common Scam Store Patterns
1. Visual Clones
A shopper finds a “Google ad” for your brand but ends up on a near-identical copy of your store. The checkout and product pages look perfect — until you notice the URL is different or the contact email is generic.
How to verify:
- Check the domain name and SSL certificate details.
- Compare the payment processor or checkout provider.
2. Typo or Look-Alike Domains
Attackers register domains that differ by a single letter or symbol — e.g. secureecommerce.io instead of securecommerce.io. These clones often redirect checkout to phishing pages.
How to verify:
- Inspect for extra letters, symbols, or different extensions (.net, .shop, etc.).
- Look up domain creation date and registrar.
- Use WHOIS tools to check for hidden ownership details.
3. Fake Discount or Clearance Pages
You see a search result like “SecureCommerce – 50% Off Everything” leading to a fake site with unrealistic offers. These scams attract shoppers through organic or paid search.
How to verify:
- Compare discounts and product pricing with your official site.
- Check the domain and URL in the search result.
- Report fake listings through Google Search Console or ad platform support.
How SecureCommerce Detects Cloned and Scam Sites
Our detection engine combines multiple data sources to identify fake stores early.
1. Domain Monitoring and Typosquat Detection
We scan for new domain registrations similar to your brand name and flag look-alikes that could be used for phishing or scams.
2. SSL Certificate Tracking
By monitoring certificate transparency logs, we identify SSL certificates issued for domains containing your brand — giving early warnings before fake stores launch.
3. Search and Ad Scanning
We automatically check search engines for your brand name alongside scam-related keywords like “discount,” “support,” and “official store,” surfacing suspicious results.
4. Frontend Code and Design Fingerprinting
We fingerprint your storefront’s assets and design structure. When those assets appear elsewhere online, our system flags possible clones or impersonation sites.
How Merchants Can Respond to a Cloned Store
If you discover a fake Shopify store or scam site, take these steps quickly:
- Collect evidence: screenshots, full URLs, and timestamps.
- Submit takedown requests to the domain registrar and hosting provider.
- Report the site through Google Safe Browsing and Shopify’s abuse form.
- Notify your customers if the clone is targeting them directly.
- Monitor for reappearance — scammers often relaunch under new domains.
Stay Ahead of Fake Shopify Stores
Scam and cloned websites can damage your reputation and cost real revenue, but early detection changes everything.
SecureCommerce provides automated monitoring and clone detection — helping Shopify merchants protect their stores and customers before damage occurs.
👉 Install it from the Shopify app store SecurEcommerce Cybersecurity