How to Spot Online Counterfeiters 

Identifying Counterfeit Websites

* The biggest sign of a fraudulent site is one that's offering dramatic discounts, so be skeptical about price, Block says. "If you see a brand that's sold for $150 (being) sold for $20, chances are it's fake." (Be aware, though, that rogue sites have gotten savvier, and some are now selling at more modest discounts to beef up their credibility, Smith says.)

* Check out the FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) or "about us" part of a suspect website as some will use the term "replica," which simply means counterfeit, to describe their products, Smith said.

* Beware of "cyber squatting," which describes using a brand name in a URL without permission from the brand. These sites "want to make a buck off the back of a brand," Smith says.


If a site's URL contains a construction like this -- the manufacturer's brand name, the word "discount" and then something like "handbag store" or "outlet store" -- that's a clue the website is selling fakes and might be cyber-squatting. This is particularly common among online sellers of fake luxury handbags.

And a site that uses a single brand name in its own name but purports to carry a number of different brands "is another giveaway," Smith says.

* Be alert to "typo-squatting," sites with names that are a misspelled version of a brand. In general, if a website has spelling errors, "don't buy from it," Block says.