{"id":679230,"date":"2025-07-09T17:30:26","date_gmt":"2025-07-09T14:30:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/are-ghost-stores-haunting-your-social-media-feed-how-to-spot-and-avoid-them\/"},"modified":"2025-07-09T17:30:26","modified_gmt":"2025-07-09T14:30:26","slug":"are-ghost-stores-haunting-your-social-media-feed-how-to-spot-and-avoid-them","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/are-ghost-stores-haunting-your-social-media-feed-how-to-spot-and-avoid-them\/","title":{"rendered":"Are &#8216;ghost stores&#8217; haunting your social media feed? How to spot and avoid them"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_85 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a384b8d4ccb0\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a384b8d4ccb0\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/are-ghost-stores-haunting-your-social-media-feed-how-to-spot-and-avoid-them\/#A_new_type_of_scam\" >A new type of scam<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/are-ghost-stores-haunting-your-social-media-feed-how-to-spot-and-avoid-them\/#Tricky_tactics\" >Tricky tactics<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/are-ghost-stores-haunting-your-social-media-feed-how-to-spot-and-avoid-them\/#How_to_spot_a_%E2%80%98ghost\" >How to spot a &#8216;ghost&#8217;<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/are-ghost-stores-haunting-your-social-media-feed-how-to-spot-and-avoid-them\/#A_cautionary_note\" >A cautionary note<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"article-gallery lightGallery\">\n<div data-thumb=\"https:\/\/scx1.b-cdn.net\/csz\/news\/tmb\/2025\/online-retail.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/scx2.b-cdn.net\/gfx\/news\/hires\/2025\/online-retail.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Credit: Unsplash\/CC0 Public Domain\">\n<figure class=\"article-img\">\n            <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/scx1.b-cdn.net\/csz\/news\/800a\/2025\/online-retail.jpg\" alt=\"online retail\" title=\"Credit: Unsplash\/CC0 Public Domain\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\"\/><figcaption class=\"text-darken text-low-up text-truncate-js text-truncate mt-3\">\n                Credit: Unsplash\/CC0 Public Domain<br \/>\n            <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>The offer pops up in your <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/social-mediaa\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"1\" title=\"Social Media\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">social media<\/a> feed. The website is professional and the imagery illustrates an Australian coastal region, or chic inner-CBD scene.<\/p>\n<p>The brand name indicates this exclusive fashion retailer is based in Melbourne, Sydney, Adelaide, or an exclusive enclave such as Double Bay or Byron Bay.<\/p>\n<p>The businesses have history, having <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/download-scripts-themes-apps\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"9\" title=\"Download Scripts &amp; Themes &amp; Apps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">app<\/a>arently been &#8220;established&#8221; 30\u201340 years ago, and a story. The owners have reluctantly decided to close or relocate, resulting in significant discounts.<\/p>\n<p>However, behind the illusion of prestige and luxury, is cheap, poorly manufactured clothing from Chinese factories.<\/p>\n<p>The recent growth of these online &#8220;ghost stores&#8221; has led the <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.accc.gov.au\/media-release\/consumers-warned-about-ghost-stores-imitating-australian-businesses\" target=\"_blank\">Australian Consumer and Competition Commission<\/a> to issue public warning notices about four websites.<\/p>\n<p><a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/everly-melbourne.com\/\" target=\"_blank\">Everly-melbourne.com<\/a>, <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/willowandgrace-adelaide.com\/\" target=\"_blank\">willowandgrace-adelaide.com<\/a>, <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/sophie-claire.com\/\" target=\"_blank\">sophie-claire.com<\/a> and <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/doublebayboutique.com\/\" target=\"_blank\">doublebayboutique.com<\/a> are the four named.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"A_new_type_of_scam\"><\/span>A new type of scam<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>The ACCC&#8217;s <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.accc.gov.au\/about-us\/publications\/serial-publications\/targeting-scams-reports-on-scams-activity\/targeting-scams-report-of-the-accc-on-scams-activity-2023\" target=\"_blank\">Targeting Scams<\/a> report estimated Australians lost A$2.74 billion in 2023. Most losses were from investment scams ($1.3 billion), remote access scams ($256 million), and romance scams ($201.1 million).<\/p>\n<p>However, online ghost store scams are so new, researchers and government agencies have not yet had time to measure the financial impact these businesses are having on consumers or legitimate fashion businesses.<\/p>\n<p>It is possible a consumer, once stung by a ghost store scam, will be less likely to shop with a legitimate online fashion retailer.<\/p>\n<p>This type of emerging scam was touched on in a 2015 report called <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/wayback.stanford.edu\/was\/20220430052639\/http:\/longevity3.stanford.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/11\/Full-Taxonomy-report.pdf\" target=\"_blank\">Framework for a Taxonomy of Fraud<\/a>. The report noted there were businesses selling &#8220;worthless or non-existent products.&#8221; Their sites made &#8220;misleading claims about products that are exaggerated, undervalued, or non-existent.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Since the beginning of 2025, the ACCC reports it has received at least 360 complaints about 60 online ghost retailers. It says many more may be operating across several social media sites.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Tricky_tactics\"><\/span>Tricky tactics<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Ghost stores use a variety of tactics to attract unsuspecting customers.<\/p>\n<p>Price: Customers regularly assume <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.sciencedirect.com\/science\/article\/abs\/pii\/S0022435910000047\" target=\"_blank\">higher prices<\/a> mean higher quality. Most customers seeing a &#8220;leather&#8221; jacket for $19.74 on Temu would expect low quality. However, a <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/everly-melbourne.com\/collections\/silk-dresses\/products\/alessia%E2%84%A2-elegant-maxi-dress\" target=\"_blank\">silk maxi-dress<\/a> from Everly Melbourne reduced from $209.95 to $82.95\u2014a 60% saving\u2014seems reasonable and reflective of normal mid-season clearance pricing. That fact it&#8217;s still priced at more than $80 also implies good quality.<\/p>\n<p>Cosmopolitan localism: Researchers have reported that so-called <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/designforsocialchange.org\/journal\/index.php\/DISCERN-J\/article\/view\/175\" target=\"_blank\">cosmopolitan localism<\/a> fosters meaningful consumer relationships with brands. Consumers are more likely to trust a business based in Melbourne or Byron Bay over one based internationally.<\/p>\n<p>Adding images of a physical store front creates credibility and &#8220;realness.&#8221; Customers feel confident to buy from a little business based in Melbourne, Sydney or somewhere well known to them.<\/p>\n<p>Storytelling: Storytelling can influence shoppers&#8217; emotions and affect purchasing. It helps stimulate deeper <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/onlinelibrary.wiley.com\/doi\/abs\/10.1002\/mar.20203?casa_token=ciJGbpTE-e4AAAAA%3AQJEcTGkWb4RRMXR8zqs1icawHUbMoSrInBA_6yKUq7RlgzJZXhhpSjj37xGRd5yJSbzITfur_prHgQ\" target=\"_blank\">emotional connections<\/a> to a brand. Ghost stores will regularly create a narrative around &#8220;going out of business&#8221; to justify price discounts and pull on heart-strings.<\/p>\n<p>Layout: A professionally developed website, with high-quality images, detailed product information, online payment methods and order tracking, creates the illusion of authenticity. Researchers have found luxury brand <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.emerald.com\/insight\/content\/doi\/10.1108\/jfmm-09-2013-0103\/full\/html?casa_token=qg8v5yiCVn0AAAAA:nf6JvKHRtm1aEp_ktzT5unr0x2UOhXpL9TnI7PDgqnomivkWhwDLGh29oQTnh-P2aYusipxLtAbUw08wAbnE5cBFnlscfVFcuRQrp-zbKUIzrnEOvfQ\" target=\"_blank\">website designs<\/a> can create a strong <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.tandfonline.com\/doi\/abs\/10.1080\/0144929X.2016.1188987\" target=\"_blank\">sense of luxury<\/a>. This increases a willingness to buy.<\/p>\n<div class=\"ads w-100 my-4 article-main__more bg-light p-3 border\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\n<p class=\"mb-3\">\n        Discover the latest in <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/sciencee\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"5\" title=\"Science\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">science<\/a>, tech, and space with over <strong>100,000 subscribers<\/strong> who rely on Phys.org for daily insights.<br \/>\n        Sign up for our <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/sciencex.com\/help\/newsletter\/\" target=\"_blank\">free newsletter<\/a> and get updates on breakthroughs,<br \/>\n        innovations, and research that matter\u2014<strong>daily or weekly<\/strong>.\n    <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_to_spot_a_%E2%80%98ghost\"><\/span>How to spot a &#8216;ghost&#8217;<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>When the post indicates &#8220;closing today&#8221; or &#8220;closing down sale ends tonight,&#8221; it is very easy to impulsively jump in to take advantage of the savings. However, before you click, check for these red flags:<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>The website does not provide a contact phone number or physical address for the store. There might just be an email address or web form. Simply entering the suspected store into google maps will indicate no physical location.<\/li>\n<li>The website domain is &#8220;.com&#8221; rather than &#8220;.com.au.&#8221; This indicates the store is not an Australian-based business.<\/li>\n<li>Is the business registered? <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/abr.business.gov.au\/\" target=\"_blank\">ABN Lookup<\/a> is the free public view of the Australian Business Register\u2014a quick search will identify that the Double Bay designer isn&#8217;t registered locally.<\/li>\n<li>Review platforms, including <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/au.trustpilot.com\/\" target=\"_blank\">Trustpilot<\/a>, often have negative reviews for the business, whereas the business&#8217; website only features very positive reviews.<\/li>\n<li>The images of products or even the owner may be AI generated. For example, <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/harry-melbourne.com\/\" target=\"_blank\">Harry\u2014Melbourne<\/a>, is apparently an artisan watchmaker. However, simply right-clicking on the image reveals Harry is an AI-generated image.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"A_cautionary_note\"><\/span>A cautionary note<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Online shopping is risky. You can&#8217;t physically touch or interact with the product to determine its quality. <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/link.springer.com\/article\/10.1007\/s40622-020-00241-x\" target=\"_blank\">Three types<\/a> of risks are common when shopping online. These are performance risk (it doesn&#8217;t work, doesn&#8217;t fit well, or the quality is poor), financial risk (losing your money on a poor-quality product), and time-loss risk (refund processing takes weeks).<\/p>\n<p>As such, customers must trust the online retailer to act honestly and describe products accurately. When trust is breached, consumers will naturally become cautious even about legitimate online retailers.<\/p>\n<p>As ghost stores scams increasingly populate social media feeds, unsuspecting consumers will continue to get caught out. This will leave legitimate retailers exposed to skepticism and mistrust.<\/p>\n<div class=\"d-inline-block text-medium mt-4\">\n<p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tProvided by<br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tThe Conversation<br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"icon_open\" href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<svg>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<use href=\"https:\/\/phys.b-cdn.net\/tmpl\/v6\/img\/svg\/sprite.svg#icon_open\" x=\"0\" y=\"0\"\/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/svg><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p class=\"article-main__note mt-4\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t  This article is republished from <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\" target=\"_blank\">The Conversation<\/a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/are-ghost-stores-haunting-your-social-media-feed-how-to-spot-and-avoid-them-260583\" target=\"_blank\">original article<\/a>.<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/counter.theconversation.com\/content\/260583\/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-advanced\" alt=\"The Conversation\" width=\"1\" height=\"1\"\/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t <\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<!-- print only --><\/p>\n<div class=\"d-none d-print-block\">\n<p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<strong>Citation<\/strong>:<br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tAre &#8216;ghost stores&#8217; haunting your social media feed? How to spot and avoid them (2025, July 9)<br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tretrieved 9 July 2025<br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tfrom https:\/\/phys.org\/<a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/news\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"2\" title=\"News\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">news<\/a>\/2025-07-ghost-social-media.html\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t <\/p>\n<p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t This document is subject to copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study or research, no<br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t part may be reproduced without the written permission. The content is provided for information purposes only.\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><script id=\"facebook-jssdk\" async=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/connect.facebook.net\/en_US\/sdk.js\"><\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. Follow us on\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqBwgKMN63nwsw68G3Aw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Google News<\/a><\/span>\u00a0too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more Like this articles, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/sciencee\/\" target=\"_blank\" >Science category.<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/phys.org\/news\/2025-07-ghost-social-media.html\" target=\"_blank\" >Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Credit: Unsplash\/CC0 Public Domain The offer pops up in your social media feed. The website is professional and the imagery illustrates an Australian coastal region, or chic inner-CBD scene. The brand name indicates this exclusive fashion retailer is based in Melbourne, Sydney, Adelaide, or an exclusive enclave such as Double Bay or Byron Bay. The&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":679231,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/scx2.b-cdn.net\/gfx\/news\/hires\/2025\/online-retail.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-679230","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sciencee"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/679230","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=679230"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/679230\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/679231"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=679230"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=679230"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=679230"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}