Scammers are trying to dupe Kiwi shoppers with dubious e-shops supposedly selling clothes.

Cybersecurity agency Cert NZ said it had noticed dozens of sites in the last few months following the pattern of having a new website, with a local city named in the web address, selling clothes.

In one recent case, Facebook users were targeted by a site calling itself “Williams Auckland”.

The site claimed actor Russell Crowe and singer Anna Coddington were among its customers - but Coddington’s agent told the Herald today she had no association whatsoever with Williams Auckland.

In a sponsored post turning up in people’s Facebook news feeds, Williams Auckland claimed to be reluctantly closing down its Auckland clothing store.

It had no discernible links to Australian shoe and clothing company R.M. Williams, or any other legitimate company with the name Williams, and no clear links to any firm registered with the New Zealand Companies Office.

And in a seemingly emotional post, a writer spoke of “loyal customers over the years” but there was little trace of the business anywhere else online and no physical Auckland location for the store.

The suspected scam shop described itself as “the inspiring fashion retailer of New Zealand!”

It added: “In the online shop you will find endless inspiration and score your complete outfit. Clothing, shoes, bags and accessories are there for him and for her.”

This heartfelt social media post had little connection to reality, with no trace of the store in question and a website set up just a month ago. Photo / Facebook

A Cert NZ spokesman said the agency’s incident team believed it was almost certainly a scam.

“The url has ‘-auckland’ in it”, which was consistent with recent scams, he said.

“The website is only a month old but claims to have been around longer.”

People can generally check website owner and registration dates and details online, at sites such as WHOIS.

Claiming to have celebrity endorsements was another feature consistent with many dubious e-shops, the Cert NZ spokesman said.

Sometimes celebrities did not go out of their way to discredit such claims - largely because they might not even be aware when their name or image was used in scam promotions.

“We know that people are looking for deals and some of these sites seem too good to be true, but that means they likely are,” the Cert NZ spokesman added.

“We highly recommend New Zealanders take a moment to pause and check that the site is legitimate before spending money.”

The website which had no contact details other than an email address, claimed celebrities including Anna Coddington were among its customers. Photo / Supplied

The Williams Auckland Facebook page was using a Shutterstock image of a glamorous couple as its cover photo.

The e-shop also claimed to be looking for a content creator and urged people to send it their CVs, portfolios and cover letters.

The Williams Auckland e-shop has been contacted for comment.

Despite mentioning “years” of business, its Facebook page showed no posts from before July 16 this year.

Netsafe encouraged people who doubted an e-shop’s authenticity to check if the company was a registered New Zealand business.

“Cybercriminals have set up fake online stores, selling everything from clothing to electronics and even pets,” the Norton antivirus company wrote in a blog post.

“In many cases, after a customer has paid, they either receive nothing at all or get something that’s completely different from what they ordered.

“Even worse, they might end up with a fake version of the product they thought they were purchasing.”

Norton said tests late last year found more than 1000 new fake e-shops emerging every day.

Scamspotting

According to Norton, fake e-shops may feature:

• - Unrealistic discounts;
• - Contrived reviews and endorsements;
• - Fake company information and limited or unbelievable “about us” or “contact us” sections;
• - Unusual payment methods including wire transfers, bitcoin, or gift cards;
• - Claims to never run out of stock and have a vast variety of products for sale.

John Weekes, online business editor, has reported on topics including court, crime, consumer affairs and politics for more than a decade.