Australian consumers are being enticed to fraudulent websites imitating major brands such as Blue Illusion, Millers, and Sussan that mimic their branding and falsely advertise closing-down sales on social media platforms. Following the previous discovery of over 140 fake online stores by Guardian Australia, it has now been found that the issue extends to more sophisticated websites impersonating reputable retailers.
Customers deceived by these scams are urging technology companies like Shopify, Meta, and PayPal to take action against fraudulent players using their software to create and promote these sites. For instance, a Facebook ad viewed by Guardian Australia on May 16 featured a Blue Illusion storefront and a message promoting a “Final Sale” to make the experience “truly unforgettable.” Clicking on the ad led to an e-commerce website that replicated the Blue Illusion logo but used the domain name yayeco.top, which was registered just a few days prior to the ad. Blue Illusion, a company in operation for over 35 years, is not closing down.
Other Australian labels such as Susanne Grae, Sussan, and Millers have been targeted as well, with ads on Facebook redirecting to websites with similar branding but different domain names. Susanne Grae and Sussan are not closing down, whereas Millers have already shut down.
Customers duped by these fake websites have expressed their disappointment, as they believed they were purchasing products from reliable brands but received nothing in return.
For example, Elizabeth Bednall from Melbourne spent $79.99 in March on a raincoat and pair of pants from what she believed to be the Blue Illusion website. Despite her attempts to contact the website, the items never arrived. She was able to secure a refund through her bank, but she feels that Facebook should be more responsible in addressing such issues.
Vicki Forscutt, a resident of New South Wales, also reported a page running these fraudulent ads. However, she was disappointed with Meta’s response, which stated that their review team could not address her report.
Meta stated that they are investigating the pages and that one of the scam pages had been taken down. They emphasized that they are committed to user safety and are collaborating with various stakeholders to protect Australians from scams.
Experts have previously called on Meta and other online platforms to crack down on these ghost stores, but the issue remains complicated due to the difficulty in identifying the owners of these websites.
Guardian Australia conducted an experiment on May 16 by visiting one of the fake websites claiming to be Millers and making a payment of $13 for a pair of trousers using PayPal. However, no shipping notification was received, and the trousers have not arrived. PayPal Australia assured that they verify the details of live accounts, but this may not be the case for online sellers based in countries with different laws.
Many of these ghost stores were found to be built using Shopify, the Canadian multinational e-commerce company founded by Tobias Lütke. Shopify has not responded to repeated requests for comment regarding this matter.
Source: https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2025/may/24/scam-websites-imitating-famous-brands-on-social-media-ads
