Storage spoofing is a subject that is, unfortunately, always very much on the move. We’re adding fake websites to our blacklist almost daily, while the efforts of our team and the partners within the FERM network continuously uncover new strategies that are being used to target companies (by spoofing their websites) and entrepreneurs (by offering fake deals). A major Dutch news outlet will focus on storage spoofing in the Port of Rotterdam within the next week, which we’ll share here as well. For now, we’d like to address an interesting way to handle fake website if your brand name, company website and/or other (online) information are being abused for the purpose of spoofing.
Storage Spoofing
Storage spoofing is a persistent, port-specific form of cybercrime that continues to plague our industry. It is an umbrella term to describe all varieties of the sale of non-existent storage capacities and stocks of resources and materials at the terminals in Rotterdam’s port area. The targets for this type of fraud are national and multinational companies that either operate or are looking for storage facilities in the port area, as well as all potential buyers of the goods stored at these terminals. These goods are offered under false pretences and turn out to be non-existent.
In addition to entrepreneurs who are fooled in this way, many companies in the port suffer from this type of fraud because their company information is being misused for the purpose of fake websites. For instance, falsified contracts are offered on fake websites. The websites are generally partial or complete copies of existing websites, in which image material, location details and even company names are copied. In addition to our step-by-step plan to take down fake websites, we’d therefore like to turn your addition to FraudWatch.
FraudWatch
FraudWatch offers Digital Brand Protection: fully managed threat hunting, intelligence, detection and takedown of threats to your brand outside your perimeter online. There are many companies offering services like FraudWatch, but we’ve chosen to highlight them as we’ve spoken to the Cyber Security Officer of a major storage provider in the Port of Rotterdam who was kind enough to share his positive experiences with their services.
FraudWatch was founded about 20 years ago as an information website to educate consumers about different types of Internet fraud. They soon realised there was a need to help businesses fight back against phishing attacks and other online fraud. The focus therefore shifted to shutting down criminal activities that were taking advantage of hard-working and dedicated businesses. It has now grown to service hundreds of clients and thousands of brands across the globe and continues to develop services to help protect businesses from digital brand threats.
The FraudWatch range of Digital Brand Protection solutions can protect businesses from financial losses, brand damage and online abuse, including the type of damage done by the uncontrolled growth of fake websites offering tank storage and/or product. As a cybersecurity company they aggressively track and take down Phishing sites, Malware sites, fake Domains, impersonating Social Media Profiles, and fake Mobile Apps, while fast takedown of these threats provides real financial benefits to our clients.
For the purpose of taking down fake websites related to storage spoofing, FraudWatch offers several plans, including annual passes for 10 takedowns at fixed rates, which is the one our CSO contact has been using satisfactorily. You can contact us if you’d like more information about this process. You can also reach out if you have any experience with similar service providers. Please find us at storagespoofing@ferm-rotterdam.nl.
You can find out more about FraudWatch and their solutions on fraudwatch.com.
Better Safe Than Sorry
Remember: if a deal sounds too good to be true, it probably is. If you’re not sure, you can always check our whitelist. As an additional countermeasure in dealing with the threat of storage spoofing, we have compiled a list of legitimate companies active in the industrial cluster of the Rotterdam Port Area as well as their official websites that are to us known to be legitimate. Please note that our whitelist is not a complete list, nor are we saying that all companies not listed here are therefore suspicious. We have merely provided a list of companies and -more importantly- websites that you can safely rely on.
You can also consult the Port of Rotterdam Authority’s Facts & Figures brochure – which includes a listing of all companies and terminals set up in the port, which can helps you to check whether a website is legitimate – or contact Port of Rotterdam directly.
If you have information regarding suspicious websites or organizations, we will be sure to verify your input and add the website to our blacklist if necessary. You can find us at storagespoofing@ferm-rotterdam.nl. You can also reach out to us if you have tips or practical advice. Please note that we cannot investigate individual cases, nor can we provide assistance in ongoing cases. If you need help in finding out if any deal on offer is deemed suspicious or to share an occurrence of fraud, we have partnered up with TCT, where a department for Enhanced Due Diligence Solutions has been set up. Find out more.
