The company behind Australian fashion label Gorman says it is battling scam retail sites posing as authentic outlets, as businesses purporting to offer Gorman goods at heavily discounted prices advertise on social media.
SmartCompany has observed social media posts promoting digital Gorman-branded outlet stores, offering cut-price dresses, shoes, and accessories from the colourful label.
The URLs do not match the official brand website, or that of its own outlet page.
Questions to a customer service representative listed on one of the sites were unanswered at the time of writing.
A warning on the official page of the brand alerts shoppers to the prevalence of knock-off sites.
“We want to alert you about the presence of several fraudulent websites that claim to sell genuine Gorman products at discounted prices,” it states.
“These websites are scams and are in no way affiliated with Gorman.”
Speaking to SmartCompany, a representative for Gorman’s parent company said it is actively challenging the lookalike sites.
“Like many other brands, Gorman has in recent months discovered a number of illegitimate scam websites which use Gorman branding and mimic the Gorman website to lure unsuspecting consumers,” said Mia Hunter, digital lead for Gorman’s parent company Factory X.
“These websites purport to sell genuine Gorman products at discounted prices in an attempt to mislead customers into purchasing products that do not exist.
“Often, the operators of these illegitimate websites promote them through ads on social media pages such as Facebook and Instagram.”
The company has “successfully shut down a number of domain names which have hosted scam websites,” Hunter said, but “will continue to take urgent action where required to protect our valued customers.”
The fashion label is not alone in the battle.
Well-known brands like Country Road and Dotti are among those to have had their online shopfronts imitated in 2023.
The rise of websites that copy the layout and aesthetic of established brands coincides with significant Australian scam losses.
Online shopping scam losses reported to Scamwatch in 2022 hit $9 million, according to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission.
Senior Business Journalist
Focused on the small business sector, David’s work covers the political, regulatory, and economic issues facing Australian entrepreneurs. Prior to joining SmartCompany, he was a reporter for Business Insider Australia. You can follow him on LinkedIn.
