What is the Fakeshop Finder?

The Fakeshop-Finder (fakeshop-finder.de) is a solution from mindUp Web + Intelligence GmbH and helps internet users to recognize fraudulent online stores. Since August 2022, users have been able to check whether an online store is trustworthy free of charge. You simply enter the Internet address (URL) of a store on the website of the consumer advice center. The system uses a large database and artificial intelligence to analyze whether a store is safe or suspected of being fraudulent. Over 72,000 known fake stores and more than 1.7 million genuine stores from Germany, Austria and Switzerland are stored in the database for comparison.

How does the Fakeshop Finder protect consumers?

The Fakeshop Finder can also be used on other websites to detect and suppress fraudulent online ads and advertisements. This prevents consumers from coming across dangerous offers from fake stores while surfing, even if they advertise on Google or Facebook, for example. Fake store operators even go so far as to hack third-party websites. In doing so, they try to redirect visitors from actually secure sites to fraudulent stores.

How big is the problem with fake stores?

In 2018, the number of consumers affected in Germany was estimated at 5 million. According to the German Federal Office for Information Security (BSI), fraud through fake stores is one of the biggest risks when shopping online. A quarter of those surveyed have already been a victim of online fraud. Concern about online fraud is widespread - 42% of people are worried about being conned. In 2024, the financial loss for consumers alone was estimated at 94 million euros per year. Companies can also be affected by fake stores.