Brand impersonation

My organisation is being impersonated online.

iStock.com/Yutthana Gaetgeaw

What is online brand impersonation?

If your brand, organisation or the services you offer are being falsely represented online, this is brand impersonation, sometimes called brand infringement.

It can happen across different platforms, in online adverts, social media, email, or even by SMS or phone calls.

What can I do about it?

If your brand or service name is being used falsely, you can contact hosting companies and domain registrars directly yourself to request that the service is taken down.

To contact a hosting company or domain registrar, you should:

1
Identify the domain name registrar for the domain. Use the search term 'online whois' to find tools that can help with this.
2
Once you have identified the registrar for the domain, search for the name of the registrar and the word ‘abuse’ to find out how to report abuse.
3
Identify the IP address of the website or service. Use the search term 'website to ip' to find tools that can help with this.
4
Use the search term ‘ip whois online’ to find a tool that will help you identify who owns the IP address being exploited.
5
Either use the abuse contact information in the data returned in step 3, or search for the IP owner organisation and the word ‘abuse’.

You may need to have evidence such as a screenshot of the false page you are trying to remove, or the phishing email, to support your case.

UK government takedown service

If you are managing a UK government service or brand, the NCSC runs a takedown service. This removes URLs associated with phishing attacks claiming to be from a UK government organisation, which are often targeted at users in the UK. You don't need to register for this service, as UK central government organisations are included automatically without the requirement to sign up.

Using a takedown provider

Another option is to use a takedown provider with experience dealing with hosting companies/ domain registrars to carry out many of the above services on your behalf.

For more details about this, see our full guidance about using a takedown provider.