E-Business
Fake or Cloned Websites are Tricking Shoppers into Making Expensive Mistakes
By Georgina Crouth
If you’re shopping online, best you have your wits about you because distractions or multitasking could be your undoing.
Research into online scams in Africa has blamed a lack of vigilance as the most common factor contributing to people falling victim.
And fraudsters, ahead of the curve, are capitalising on that inattention by cloning retail websites, using similar branding and URLs, to trick shoppers of legitimate outlets.
Daily deals website, One Day Only, and Cape Union Mart have both warned that their sites have previously been cloned, advising shoppers to be extra vigilant.
Website cloning has a damaging effect on consumer trust in e-commerce, which is why retailers are educating customers and working with social media platforms and Google to remove cloned accounts.
One Day Only brand and campaign manager Jonathan Spencer says the problem has become out of hand, exacerbated in recent months by the ease of creating clones using AI, which enables anyone to create a new website within minutes.
“It’s quite worrying that it’s so easily done.
“Anyone can put prompts into an AI generator to clone a website, including the artwork. Within minutes, it just pops up.”
While branding and logos are mirrored, the URL is often the dead giveaway: in the case of One Day Only, which ends with .co.za, the URL would end with a .cn, .org or similar.
One Day Only has been targeted on several occasions.
To the unknowing — distracted people or the elderly — the site looks the same, which is why so many are falling victim to it.
Spencer says across the retail landscape, online fraud and phishing attacks have become rife.
“Many other retailers have had a problem with it before, which is why they warn customers to be on the lookout.”
Social media is a cesspit for scams: on Facebook, some clothing “retailers”, often with “Cape Town”, “Jozi” or “South Africa” suffixed to their name for SEO purposes, are catching unobservant shoppers — and racking up thousands of complaints.
There must be more to blockchains than just Bitcoin.
There is. And it’s coming to a future near you soon.
It’s Mine is an entertaining and accessible look at how Bitcoin made its mark, how it all works and how it challenges our long-held beliefs, from renowned expert and frequent Daily Maverick contributor Steven Boykey Sidley.
The sites advertise gorgeous products (using stolen images) at reasonable prices, with “free shipping” within SA.
They may, or may not, be run by local online dropshipping stores but they take no responsibility for inferior quality or wrong orders.
Those sites may have .co.za in the URL but usually are linked to scammers operating from China.
Many customers are reporting that they received items that were vastly different from the photos, were poor quality, or had incorrect sizing. Refunds are refused and customers are required to return items, at their own expense, to China.
Instagram is another challenge: One Day Only has been forced to report numerous Instagram accounts cloning their website.
The Cape Union Mart Group says it has recently become the target of an international scam. Group spokesperson Patuvuyo Mtiya said both Cape Union Mart and Poetry stores’ digital platforms were targeted by fraudsters who used fabricated social media adverts to direct traffic to fake websites, tricking customers into purchasing items from the bogus sites.
“These fraudulent digital platforms are offering products at discounted prices, significantly lower than our standard rates. Despite our best efforts to combat this activity, these scams continue to pose a threat to our valued customers and the integrity of our proudly South African brands.”
Mtiya says while they were not the only company experiencing the fraud, they believe it is crucial to alert the public and take steps to protect consumers from falling victim to these scams.
“We encourage all consumers to exercise caution and take necessary precautions when shopping online,” Mtiya said.
“The Cape Union Mart Group is committed to maintaining the highest standards of security and trust for our customers and will continue to work diligently to combat these fraudulent activities.”
Spencer adds that consumers can protect themselves from spoofing (fake websites), and angler phishing (impersonating trusted sources on social media), by using free online tools like WHOIS to check a website’s age, and Google’s safe browsing function to determine its trustworthiness.
Do your homework before buying online: Reverse search images, read Hello Peter and Google reviews, and click to check on the followers.
The problem of phishing attacks is now so pervasive that in the second quarter of 2024, one in 10 South Africans fell victim to them, according to a recent report by security awareness training platform KnowBe4.
Its survey of 800 people from eight African countries, including South Africa, Nigeria, Kenya, Botswana, Ghana, Egypt, and Mauritius, identified prevalent patterns in online scam susceptibility. The participants, primarily working adults aged 25-44, highlighted external and internal factors that influence their vulnerability to scams.
Nearly 40% of respondents said they had fallen for an online scam in the past year — 43% of victims were distracted and multi-tasking when they fell for the scam. The percentage of distracted or multi-tasking victims was higher in Nigeria and South Africa, at 53% and 46%, respectively.
More than half (53%) of the respondents felt a significant or very significant impact on their lives. Most respondents said it took several months to recover after falling for an online scam.
When asked how much money they had lost in the scam, 40% of the victims said they lost the equivalent of $100 (R1,761), 30% lost between$100 and$1,000, and nearly 9% lost more than $1,000. DM
Credit: www.dailymaverick.co.za
Georgina Crouth
Georgina Crouth is an associate editor for Business Maverick, covering retail, food, alcohol, travel, motoring, education and tech. She has 20 years’ experience, having also worked for eNCA/e.tv, Independent Media and Caxton. A past member of the Western Cape Rental Housing Tribunal, she has also worked as a consumer journalist since 2015.
At the close of 2025, Temidayo Ojo, the CEO of Jumia Nigeria, reflected on a year-end shopping season that points to the growing maturity of the country’s e-commerce market. “Black Friday is no longer a single, short-lived spike in activity,” he said.
“It has become a familiar, anticipated moment in the retail calendar, where consumers shop deliberately and with confidence.”
Preliminary KPIs for the two months ended November 30, 2025, show strong year-on-year growth in both orders and Gross Merchandise Value (GMV), with GMV growth outpacing order growth. This indicates that customers are placing fuller, more considered baskets rather than shopping in fragmented transactions. Nigeria ranked among Jumia Group’s better-performing markets, with engagement remaining steady throughout the Black Friday period rather than spiking briefly and tapering off.
A key factor behind this performance is the growing familiarity of consumers with online shopping. Customers are increasingly leveraging platform features such as saved carts, brand stores, and price comparison tools to plan purchases in advance. This trend suggests that digital commerce is becoming embedded in everyday habits rather than being viewed as a one-off event.
Ojo also highlighted the role of Jumia’s JForce network in connecting digital commerce to local communities. “Our agents are critical to ensuring that customers across Nigeria, including secondary cities and smaller communities, have access to variety, consistent pricing, and reliable delivery,” he said. “During peak periods like Black Friday, JForce agents can respond faster, serve more customers efficiently, and build stronger local relationships. This isn’t just a distribution channel—it’s a pathway to sustainable income and inclusion.”
Reflecting on the overall performance, the CEO concluded: “What we’re seeing this year-end is steady engagement across categories, stronger consumer confidence, and partners like our JForce agents benefiting from increased activity.
“It confirms that Nigeria’s e-commerce ecosystem is maturing, growing in a more structured and resilient way. As the December Holiday Sale continues, we expect these patterns of familiarity, trust, and participation to sustain momentum and drive both commerce and community impact across the country.”
Galaxy Backbone Limited (GBB) has been ranked first overall in the 2025 Federal Government Website Performance Scorecard.
This is a landmark achievement for Nigeria’s digital economy.
The ranking, conducted by the Bureau of Public Service Reforms (BPSR), is the definitive benchmark for digital excellence and transparency across all Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs).
Professor Ibrahim Adepoju Adeyanju, managing director and CEO of Galaxy Backbone, received the award during a ceremony in Abuja.
He described the feat as a validation of the agency’s“Nigeria First”data sovereignty strategy and its relentless pursuit of service excellence.
This recognition comes as the Federal Government intensifies its push to achieve a fully paperless civil service by December 31, 2025.
GBB has been the primary architect of this transition through its 1Gov Enterprise Content Management (ECM) platform, which now hosts the operations of almost all federal MDAs.
The award adds to a growing list of accolades for Galaxy Backbone in 2025, following its recent win of the “International Standard Excellence Award for Best IT Service Provider.”
As the central hub for government shared services, GBB’s performance serves as a blueprint for other agencies currently undergoing digital transformation.
With its expanded fiber-optic backbone now covering over 13 states and its secure cloud solutions, Galaxy Backbone remains the cornerstone of Nigeria’s vision to become a leading digital nation by the end of the decade.
Okitipi Samuel, a Nigerian man, has been taken into custody by the Nigeria Police Force for his alleged role in a global cyberattack on Microsoft 365 users.
Benjamin Hundeyin, Force public relations officer, disclosed this on Thursday in Abuja while briefing journalists on the outcome of investigations carried out by the National Cybercrime Centre of the Nigeria Police Force.
Hundeyin said the centre, under the leadership of Ifeanyi Uche, its director and Commissioner of Police, commenced investigations in collaboration with Microsoft, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the United States Secret Service, and the United Kingdom’s National Crime Agency.
According to him, investigations revealed that a phishing toolkit known as “Raccoon 0365” was used to create fake Microsoft login portals to harvest user credentials and unlawfully access email accounts belonging to corporate organisations, financial institutions, and educational institutions in several countries.
“This investigation commenced following credible intelligence received from Microsoft USA through the FBI, indicating that a malicious phishing toolkit known as Raccoon0365 was being used to create fake Microsoft login portals, harvest user credentials, and unlawfully access the email accounts of corporate organisations, financial institutions, and educational establishments,” Hundeyin said.
He added that between January and September 2025, several reports of unauthorised access to Microsoft 365 accounts were traced to phishing emails designed to mimic legitimate Microsoft login pages, enabling business email compromise, internal phishing, data breaches, and other cyber-enabled fraud.
Hundeyin said digital forensic analysis and cryptocurrency tracing identified wallets connected to the illegal operation.
He noted that operatives were deployed to Lagos and Edo states, leading to the arrest of three suspects identified as Joshua, James, and Okitipi Samuel between September 20 and October 4, 2025.
“Following extensive digital forensic and technical intelligence analysis, the centre conducted cryptocurrency tracing that identified suspicious wallets connected to cash-out schemes.
“Acting on actionable intelligence, operational teams were deployed to Lagos and Edo states, resulting in the arrest of Joshua, James, and Okitipi Samuel. Searches at their residences led to the recovery of mobile devices, laptops, and other digital exhibits linked to the fraudulent scheme,” he said.
Hundeyin identified Okitipi Samuel, also known as “0365” and Moses Felix as the principal suspect and developer of the phishing infrastructure.
He added that investigations confirmed Samuel unlawfully used the email details of one of the arrested individuals without consent to register some of the accounts used in the operation.
The police spokesperson said further investigations revealed that the identities of Joshua and James were used without their consent.
“There was no evidence linking them to the creation or operation of the phishing scheme. They were victims of identity theft,” Hundeyin said.
He said a prima facie case had been established against Samuel for identity theft, unlawful access to computer systems, creation and distribution of malicious software, unauthorised interference with network data, and aiding and abetting fraud.
Hundeyin added that the suspect would be charged under relevant provisions of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Act, 2024.
He said the suspect would be prosecuted in Nigeria, noting that the country has the capacity to enforce its cybercrime laws, although extradition could be considered if formally requested through due process.
Hundeyin assured Nigerians that the police, under the leadership of Kayode Egbetokun, inspector-general of Police, would continue to protect the country’s digital ecosystem and urged citizens to practise good cyber hygiene by being cautious when clicking links and sharing personal information online.
Speaking separately, Ifeanyi Uche, director of the National Cybercrime Centre, urged Nigerians to exercise caution online.
Uche advised members of the public to avoid clicking on links from unknown or unexpected sources, noting that such links often contain malware or phishing tools designed to compromise devices and personal data.
He warned that indiscriminate clicking of links or responding to unsolicited emails could lead to unauthorised access to personal and corporate accounts, urging citizens to “wash their cyber hands” by verifying sources before taking action online.
NDIC Reinforces Full Oversight Compliance to Safeguard Depositors
GTCO Secures Regulatory Approvals to Raise N10bn in Private Placement
Jumia CEO says Black Friday Signals Nigeria’s E-Commerce Maturity
MTN Nigeria Crowns Ayo Benzi Winner of Next Afrobeats Star
T2 Faces NCC Probe in Benue Over Major Service Outage in 9 LGAs
Nigeria Records Highest Weekly Cyberattacks in Africa — Report
Cyber Tsunami Hits Nigeria as Breaches Surge 1,047%, esentry Q3 Report Reveals
Financial Sector Faced AI, Blockchain and Organised Crime Threats in 2025 – Report
Minister Claims Bandits Exploit Poor Network, Bounce Calls Off Multiple Towers
Report Reveals Half of 2025’s Compromised Passwords were Already Leaked
Telecom3 days agoGoogle Finally Allows Users to Change Gmail Address, Keeps Data and Services Intact
News3 days agoInsomniaQ Spotlights African Creativity in Lagos
General News3 days agoT2 Backs Youth Excellence as NCBC Wins Bosun Tijani Foundation Basketball Tournament
E-Financial2 days agoNigeria’s N58.18trn Budget and Rising Cost of Deficit Governance
Telecom2 days agoNnaemeka Ani – The Architect of ‘Code and Courage’
Telecom2 days agoMTN Nigeria Appreciates Partners, Customers at Lagos Prestige Experience
Telecom14 hours agoNCC Grants 45 Days for Telecoms Firms to Fix Unapproved Shareholding Changes
Telecom14 hours agoNCC Unveils Draft 5-Year Spectrum Roadmap, 60 GHz License-Exempt Guidelines to Boost Broadband, Innovation