What Is Brand Phishing?
Brand phishing occurs when attackers send emails that appear to come from your store, tricking customers into:
- Clicking malicious links
- Entering login credentials on fake sites
- Providing payment information
- Downloading malware
- Revealing personal data
These attacks exploit the trust customers have in your brand.
How Phishing Attacks Work
1. Email Spoofing
Attackers forge the “From” field in emails to display your store’s name and domain. Without proper email authentication, recipients can’t tell the email isn’t from you.
2. Lookalike Domains
Phishers register domains similar to yours (amazom.com, your-store.co) and send emails from those domains, hoping recipients won’t notice the difference.
3. Compromised Services
Sometimes attackers compromise email marketing services or third-party apps that legitimately send on your behalf, giving them authenticated access to send as you.
4. Social Engineering
Phishing emails create urgency:
- “Your order is on hold”
- “Confirm your payment method”
- “Account suspended - verify now”
- “You’ve won a gift card”
Warning Signs of Phishing Targeting Your Brand
- Customer reports of suspicious emails they “received from you”
- Login attempts from unusual locations
- Password reset requests you didn’t initiate
- Customer complaints about being scammed
- Social media mentions of phishing emails with your brand
The Damage Phishing Causes
Customer Trust Destruction
Once customers are phished using your brand, they lose trust - not just in the scammers, but in your legitimate store.
Support Burden
You’ll spend hours:
- Explaining to customers they were phished
- Helping with compromised accounts
- Dealing with payment disputes
- Answering “was this email from you?” questions
Legal and Compliance Risk
Depending on your jurisdiction, you may have obligations to notify customers of data breaches, even when the breach was at a phishing site.
Brand Reputation
News of phishing attacks spreads on social media, forums, and review sites - often naming your brand even though you’re also a victim.
How SecurEcommerce Protects Against Phishing
Email Authentication Monitoring
We monitor your email security configuration:
SPF (Sender Policy Framework)
- Checks if you have an SPF record
- Validates it’s properly configured
- Alerts you to issues that allow spoofing
DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail)
- Verifies DKIM is set up
- Ensures email signatures are valid
- Identifies configuration problems
DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication)
- Monitors DMARC policy
- Checks alignment settings
- Recommends improvements
Suspicious Email Analysis
Forward suspicious emails to us and we’ll analyze them for:
- Phishing indicators
- Deceptive links
- Spoofing attempts
- Known bad actors
- HIBP (Have I Been Pwned) breach data
Actionable Alerts
When we detect issues, you receive:
- Clear explanation of the problem
- Specific steps to fix it
- Priority level based on risk
- Links to relevant documentation
Protecting Your Customers
Implement Email Authentication
Properly configured SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records prevent most email spoofing. SecurEcommerce checks these for you and guides you through setup.
Educate Customers
- Remind customers how you do (and don’t) communicate
- Publish guidance on identifying legitimate emails
- Provide a way to verify suspicious communications
Monitor for Lookalike Domains
Our clone detection includes typosquat monitoring that catches domains commonly used in phishing attacks.
Respond Quickly
When phishing is reported:
- Alert customers immediately
- Report the phishing site
- Work with email providers to block the sender
The Email Security Gap
Many Shopify stores focus on site security but neglect email security. Your domain’s email authentication is often set up by whoever handles your domain/hosting - and may not be configured at all.
SecurEcommerce checks this for you automatically, alerting you to gaps that leave your brand vulnerable to impersonation.