How to remove a fake website

Why fake websites are hard to remove

A fake website isn't controlled by a single company. A domain registrar, a hosting provider, and often a platform, a content delivery network, and a payment processor are all involved in keeping it online. Each has its own reporting process, its own standards, and its own response times. Removing a site means knowing which of them to contact, in what order, and what evidence each one needs.

Step 1: Document the site

Capture screenshots and URLs of every page that infringes or misleads, along with direct links to your original content on your own website. That evidence shows what's being copied and proves it's yours.

Plunge AirImages & Videos · plunge.com

Found on 6 sites

Your imageplunge.comOriginal

plunge-outlet.shopExact copy99%

plunge-sauna.storeDetail crop98%

plungedeals.shopMirrored96%

getplunge.coCropped95%

Facebook adRecoloured93%

Instagram adCropped91%

Step 2: Identify everyone involved

Find the domain registrar, the hosting provider, and any platform the site runs on, such as Shopify. Many fake sites hide their real hosting behind services like Cloudflare or connect through a separate provider, so it can take some digging to find the companies that can actually act on the site.

Step 3: Report to the hosting provider and registrar

The hosting provider and the registrar are the companies most responsible for a fraudulent site staying online, so they're the first place to send takedown requests. If the site runs on a platform like Shopify, report it there as well. Reporting the site to browser safety services can also put a warning in front of visitors while removal is in progress.

Bustem

99+

Enforcement

Removals

This weekThis monthAll time

Removed9

Revenue protected$21,300

ListingStatusPlatform

plunge-outlet.shopSite offline · Host report

Removed

Fake website

Plunge Air · 85% off adAd removed · Meta report

Removed

Facebook

coldplunge-sale.comPayments off · Stripe report

Removed

Stripe

plunge-sauna.storeWarning added · Safe Browsing

Removed

Google

plungedeals.shopStore removed · DMCA notice

Removed

Shopify

getplunge.coDomain locked · Registrar

Removed

Cloudflare

Step 4: Cut off payments

For sites selling counterfeits or posing as your brand, reporting them to payment processors can cut off their ability to take money. It's a useful option, but compliance among card processors is low, each one has to be contacted separately, and the process can be slow. We treat it as a backup when reports to the host and registrar haven't worked.

Step 5: Take control of the domain with UDRP

When standard enforcement fails, the Uniform Domain-Name Dispute-Resolution Policy (UDRP) is ICANN's established process for resolving disputes over infringing domain names, and the main way to have a domain transferred to you without going to court.

UDRP costs more than standard enforcement, so it's best saved for cases where other takedown efforts haven't worked. We recommend requesting a three-member panel instead of a single panelist. It costs more, but it gives every part of your case thorough consideration and a better chance of reaching the right outcome. If a UDRP complaint fails, there may be no other practical way to take control of that domain, which is why getting it right the first time matters.

Where doing it yourself falls short

• Providers aren't created equal. Some hosts, internet service providers, and registrars act quickly. Others are slow, unresponsive, or located in regions where it's harder to force bad actors to comply.
• Timelines vary widely. Reputable providers can comply within about three days. But because enforcement involves so many different companies, some cases stretch past three weeks.
• Sites come back. Operators often relaunch on new domains, so removal needs ongoing monitoring, not a single report.

How Bustem helps

We maintain a scored list of hosting providers, internet service providers, and registrars based on their responsiveness and compliance, so we know where to apply pressure and when to escalate. We report to hosts, registrars, platforms, and browser safety services, use payment processor enforcement when other routes fail, and refer UDRP cases to our partner attorney when a domain needs to be recovered.