According to the data examined by journalists and IT experts, this network is highly organized, and technically well underway. The scheming developers created tens of thousands of fake online stores offering discounted products designers including Dior, Nike, Lacoste, Hugo Boss, Versace, Prada, and many other premium brands. The worth mentioning point is that there were several available languages from English to German, French, Spanish, Swedish, and Italian that users can select from on the sites. The scammers do not want to foreshadow that this is a scam in any way. It is pertinent to mention that these sites have no connection with the brands they claim to sell and in most cases, customers who spoke about their experience said they had not received any products.

Reports reveal that the network’s first fake e-shops seem to have been created in 2015. According to the data analysis, more than one million “orders” have been processed in the past three years. Moreover, the fraudsters behind this network have allegedly attempted to grab up to 50 million euros during this duration. Many of these e-shops have been taken down, however, a third of them – more than 22,500 – are still functional.

An estimated 800,000 people from Europe and the US, have provided email addresses. Even though, 476,000 of them have given out debit and credit card details, including their three-digit security number. All of them gave their names, phone numbers, email, and postal addresses to the fake network.

Le Monde, Die Zeit, and the Guardian had access to numerous leaked documents that belonged to the Chinese cybercriminal organization. The German cybersecurity firm SR Labs also got their hands on several gigabytes of internal group documents, which it shared with Die Zeit and its partners.

Victim’s Stories

In February 2022, Émilie H., who lives in Paris, wanted to buy a new leather handbag from the Sœur brand. After typing the name of the model she liked into the Google search engine, she came across a site offering a reasonable price: €71 for a Nottingham bag, usually sold at double the price. She placed her order, without catching that the website address, architectes-fr.com, was dubious. She stated that she was less vigilant as she was going through a difficult phase of her personal life. Anyhow, she never received her handbag.

Tom C., from southwestern France, had the same mishap. He was looking for a particular model of Reebok sneakers. While searching, he found an online store – Anthonybannach.com – on Google’s Products tab, which appeared to be completely reliable. He explained:

“I was looking for a rare color that wasn’t easy to find. Luckily, the site had just the right color and size in stock. I ordered with complete confidence and received a tracking number.”

The package was never delivered to him. Moreover, Tom C.’s requests for a refund also went unanswered. There are thousands of such victims. Beware of such online scams and try to be vigilant while placing orders online.