Which? is no stranger to impersonation attempts – we’ve seen fake emails sent to colleagues purporting to be from our CEO Anabel Hoult, bogus Which? Best Buy badges created by rogue businesses and phishing scams claiming to offer the chance to win a £500 gift voucher from ‘the Consumers’ Association’.
Read on to find out more about this Which? impersonation scam and how to spot a copycat website.
Copycat Which? website
This fake website attempted to mimic a Which? article about debit cards. The website was created in mid-July 2025 and quickly taken down by the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) when we reported it a few weeks later.
We're not entirely sure what these scammers intended, because none of the links worked and although it featured a 'registration feedback form' asking for names, email addresses and phone numbers, this form didn't work when we inspected it. We suspect it was discovered before the creators had time to finish setting it up.
This type of personal data can be very useful to a scammer, as they can send victims more personalised phishing messages and perhaps attempt to use their details to bypass certain security measures.
How to spot a Which? impersonator
But scammers hope victims don’t look too closely at the actual email or web address (which can be tricky to see on some devices), so caution is your strongest defence.
Be on guard for unusual messages or requests, even if they seem to come from friends, relatives or colleagues at first glance. Contact the individual or business directly, either in person or via a trusted phone number, to make sure it was really them.
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Which? calls for action on fraud
Criminals often encourage people to visit fake websites through ads plastered across search engines, social media sites or other smaller platforms that are less well-regulated.
While the Online Safety Act will crack down on fraudulent advertising on major platforms like Google and Instagram, the government has failed to announce a plan to combat scam ads on websites that sit outside the Act's scope.
source https://www.which.co.uk/news/article/scam-alert-copycat-which-website-taken-down-avFDN8q4KmqR