Phishing Protection: Defending Your Shopify Customers

What is Phishing?

Phishing is when attackers send deceptive messages (usually emails) that appear to be from a trusted source, trying to trick recipients into revealing sensitive information. For Shopify merchants, this means scammers impersonating your brand to steal customer credentials, payment details, or personal data.

How Phishing Targets Shopify Customers

Your customers receive emails that look like they’re from your store:

Fake Order Confirmations

“Your order #12345 has been confirmed. Click here to track your package.” The link leads to a fake site that steals login credentials or payment information.

Shipping Notifications

“Your package is delayed. Update your address to ensure delivery.” Victims enter personal information on a fraudulent site.

Payment Problems

“We couldn’t process your payment. Please update your billing information.” Customers enter credit card details on a fake checkout page.

Account Security

“Suspicious activity detected. Verify your account now.” Links to a fake login page that captures passwords.

Common Phishing Tactics

Urgency

Phishing emails create pressure: “Act now or your order will be cancelled.” Urgency prevents victims from thinking critically.

Authority

Messages appear to come from official sources: your store, shipping carriers, or payment processors.

Familiarity

Attackers copy your branding, logos, and email templates. Victims recognize the familiar design and trust it.

Link Disguising

Displayed links look legitimate (yourstore.com/track) but actually lead elsewhere. Hovering reveals the real destination.

What You Can Do as a Merchant

Implement Email Authentication

SPF, DKIM, and DMARC help receiving servers identify fake emails claiming to be from your domain.

Educate Your Customers

Include in your communications:

• “We never ask for passwords via email”
• “Always check the URL before entering payment information”
• How customers can verify legitimate emails from you

Use Consistent Sending Practices

Send from consistent email addresses. If customers know to expect emails from orders@yourstore.com, messages from other addresses raise suspicion.

Monitor Brand Abuse

Watch for phishing campaigns using your brand so you can warn customers and request takedowns.

Communicating with Customers About Phishing

When you discover phishing targeting your brand:

1. Alert customers proactively through official channels (your website, verified social media)
2. Explain what the phishing looks like so customers can identify it
3. Clarify what you’ll never ask for in emails
4. Provide a way to verify suspicious emails (support contact, official website check)
5. Report the phishing to relevant authorities and request takedowns

Impact on Your Business

Phishing that impersonates your Shopify store causes:

• Customer trust erosion: Victims blame you even though you’re not responsible
• Support burden: Confused customers flood your support channels
• Brand damage: Association with fraud harms your reputation
• Lost sales: Customers become wary of all communications from you
• Legal exposure: In some cases, failure to protect customers creates liability

How Recon Helps

Recon protects your Shopify customers by:

• Monitoring for domains used in phishing campaigns against your brand
• Alerting you when impersonation attempts are detected
• Verifying your email authentication is properly configured
• Providing takedown guidance for phishing sites

FAQ

Q: Am I liable when customers get phished using my brand?

A: Generally, you’re not liable for third-party criminal activity. However, failure to implement reasonable security measures (like email authentication) could create exposure. Consult legal counsel for your specific situation.

Q: How quickly do phishing sites get taken down?

A: With prompt reporting, phishing sites hosted by major providers can be removed within hours. Sites on uncooperative hosting can take days or weeks. Speed of detection is critical.

Q: Should I report phishing to law enforcement?

A: Yes, especially for significant campaigns. Report to the FBI’s IC3 (ic3.gov) in the US or your country’s equivalent cybercrime unit. Also report to the Anti-Phishing Working Group (reportphishing@apwg.org).