Brand abuse
Types of brand abuse, and how to spot them.
Brand abuse is when someone uses your name, logo or reputation without permission to mislead people, usually to take their money or details. Here's what it looks like, where it happens and how organisations get it removed.
What is brand abuse?
Your name, used without your permission.
Brand abuse is any unauthorised use of an organisation's name, logo, products or people to deceive others. It covers impersonation accounts, fake customer support, fake shops, lookalike domains, scam ads and fake apps. Nothing on your side is hacked. Someone simply borrows the trust you've built.
In the data
What brand abuse looks like right now.
Patterns from the brand abuse cases we handled for our clients in the first half of 2026.
Warning signs
How to tell a fake account from the real one.
FAQ
Brand abuse questions, answered.
What is brand abuse?
Brand abuse is the unauthorised use of an organisation's name, logo, products or people to mislead others, usually to take their money or personal details. It includes fake social media accounts, fake customer support, fake shops, lookalike domains, scam ads, fake apps and fake job offers.
What's the difference between brand abuse and brand impersonation?
Brand impersonation is one type of brand abuse, where someone pretends to be the organisation itself, such as a fake support account or official-looking page. Brand abuse is the wider term and also covers things like counterfeits, unofficial sites using your name and squatted domains.
What are the most common types of brand abuse?
Fake social media accounts are the most common. Nearly three quarters of the brand abuse we handled in the first half of 2026 was on social media, and about a third of those accounts posed as customer support. Fake shops, unofficial sites using the brand and squatted domains make up most of the rest.
How can I tell if a social media account is fake?
Check the handle for extra words or numbers, look at when the account was created and how many followers it has, and see whether the brand's own website links to it. Be wary of any account that contacts you first, moves the chat to WhatsApp or Telegram, or asks for card details, one-time codes or a fee.
Can fake accounts and sites be removed?
Yes. Social platforms, hosting providers and registrars have rules against impersonation and misuse, and will act when they're given clear evidence. How long it takes depends on the platform and the case. In the first half of 2026, 92% of the fake social accounts we pursued were confirmed taken down.
What should we do if we find a fake account using our brand?
Don't engage with it. Save screenshots, the full link or handle and the date, then report it to the platform as impersonation, or request a takedown and our team will check it and handle the reports. Let customers know which accounts are really yours, and look for others, because fakes usually come in groups.
How can organisations prevent brand abuse?
You can't stop people copying a public brand, but you can make fakes short-lived. Watch social platforms, domains, app stores and ads for your name, remove what's malicious quickly, and publish a clear list of your official accounts so customers know what to trust.
Found a fake account or site using your brand?
Send us the link and our team will check it and talk you through taking it down. Or book a demo to see how we find them first.