A domain name is more than a technicality. As an entrepreneur, I know the amount of time and effort to finalize a domain name. Isn’t it justified? Your domain must be intuitive, relevant, and catchy. In fact, with the sharp rise in the number of websites going live every day, getting the domain name of your choice is a big task. But once chosen and bought, many clients feel they no longer need to be bothered by the domain name. A part of our job at ACVISS is to help clients see the importance of protecting their domains. After all, a domain is your brand’s online identity card! Most clients agree that the domain’s strength adds to the brand’s reputation. But it is only now that people are seeing the damage a fake domain can cause to the brand.
ACVISS provides holistic anti-counterfeit technology and tools. With the digital transformation, our strategy goes beyond securing the physical products. Diversifying our solutions made us realize that brands must be protected from online abuse. Unfortunately, many sectors have undergone a rushed digital transition. It means that brands do not have the time to understand and tackle the issue of online abuse.
I think that the easiest and most common way of online brand abuse is faking domains. My team at ACVISS has spent time and resources understanding the issue of domain spoofing. Domain spoofing is a common phishing scam. A fraudster impersonates your brand by misusing and misrepresenting your registered domain name. A common practice in domain spoofing is creating a look-alike website using a slight variation of your domain name. The fake website is indecipherable from the genuine one.
Traditionally, brands acted against fakes only when they directly impacted the revenues. But a brand’s reputation has gained much larger importance in the digital world. Your brand is under public scrutiny. So, if scammers abuse your domain, the value of your domain name takes a beating. If your customers are tricked, you will be deemed the trickster. They will mistrust your domain and brand and stop engaging with your marketing emails and campaigns. The intangible loss is something that will take brands years to recover from it. Loyal customers are challenging to come by. Fake domains cost brands loyal returning customers. Beyond losing loyal customers, fake domains can dissuade other brands from advertising on your website.
I believe that technology is of no use unless it is used for the betterment of society. The risk of such fake websites can be far-reaching. Since its inception, ACVISS has focussed on bringing innovative ways to tackle counterfeiting. Fake domains are a safety net for the sale of counterfeit products. Counterfeiters will assume no responsibility for the hazards caused by selling fake products. So, I ask my clients, ‘why not nip the issue of fake domains in the bud?’ Many brands struggle with reporting and taking down fake domains. But why not look at preventive and proactive steps? With this moto, ACVISS came up with an automated holistic tool called TRUVISS for online brand protection. TRUVISS tracks and protects your domain, along with other aspects of your brand, on a real-time basis. We know you deserve better! A digital shield for your brand is only a click away.
(The author is Mr. Vikas Jain, Founder & CEO, Acviss Technologies and the views expressed in this article are his own)
