How it works

How we get a fake website taken down.

Every case goes through the same six stages. You paste the address, approve the reports and submit the forms; we do the research, the evidence, the drafting and the follow-ups. Nothing is sent without your approval.

Check a fake site free See a sample pack

Found
You paste the fake site's address, or monitoring detects it.
Evidence
Screenshot, archived copy, HTML and hotlink proof are captured.
Drafted
Up to nine reports are drafted with the facts filled in.
Approved (current)
A named person on your side approves each report.
5
Reported
Email reports are sent and form reports submitted.
6
Down
The site is rechecked daily and chased until it is gone.

01 / 06Free

Found

You paste the address of the fake site into the free check, or monitoring flags a lookalike of your domain.

You: Paste the fake site's address. Adding your own site is optional but helps us compare the two.
We: We look up the registrar (RDAP), DNS, the hosting network and its abuse contact, and whether Cloudflare sits in front. This takes about 20 seconds.

Free check result · 19.4 s

Live

acmepaints-outlet.shop

is live. These are the people who can take it down.

Registered: 9 days ago
Hosted by: Contoso Hosting
Status: HTTP 200

Registrar abuse desk
Northwind Domains, LLC
ab•••@northwind-domains.example
Hosting provider abuse desk
Contoso Hosting (AS64500)
ab•••@contoso-hosting.example
Google Safe Browsing
Chrome warning page
report form
Microsoft SmartScreen
Edge and Windows warning
report form

02 / 06Takedown Pack

Evidence

Starting the pack captures the evidence a registrar or host needs to act, before the site can change or vanish.

You: Nothing. This step is automatic.
We: We capture a full-page screenshot, archive a copy on the Wayback Machine, store the rendered HTML with a checksum, and list the images and files the fake site loads from your own site.

Exhibit list · ACME-2026-0042

Evidence

https://acmepaints-outlet.shop/

A
Full-page screenshot
PNG · 1440×6120
sha256 9f2c…a41e
B
Wayback Machine copy
web.archive.org/web/2026…
archived
C
Rendered HTML
212 KB
sha256 03be…77d0
D
Hotlinked assets
38 files from acmepaints.co.uk
proof

03 / 06

Drafted

Every report is written for its recipient: the registrar wants different things from a hosting abuse desk, and a DMCA notice has required elements.

You: Fill in your signatory details once: name, role, contact details, and trade marks if you have them.
We: We draft up to nine reports with the facts filled in from the evidence. A report missing a required fact cannot be approved until it is fixed.

Registrar abuse report

Awaiting approval

To: [email protected]
Reply-to: [email protected]
Subject: [ACME-2026-0042] Phishing / fraud website report

Dear Abuse Team,

I am writing on behalf of Acme Paints Ltd, the operator of acmepaints.co.uk, to report that the domain acmepaints-outlet.shop, registered 2 October 2026 via Northwind Domains, LLC, is being used for a fraudulent website that impersonates our business.

Evidence: screenshot taken 11 Oct 2026 09:14; independent archive at web.archive.org/web/…; the page loads 38 images directly from our own site.

…

Signed by Sam Carter, Ecommerce Manager

Approve and send

04 / 06

Approved

A named person in your team reads each report and approves the exact text. This is the safety catch, and it cannot be skipped.

You: Read each report, edit it if you want, and approve it. The first time, you also verify that you own your domain.
We: We hold every report until it is approved. There is no auto-send.

Approval queue · ACME-2026-0042

Registrar abuse report
Sam Carter · 09:31
Approved
Hosting abuse + DMCA notice
Sam Carter · 09:33
Approved
Google Safe Browsing
Awaiting you
Microsoft SmartScreen
Awaiting you
Netcraft
Awaiting you

Domain ownership verified for acmepaints.co.uk via DNS TXT record.

05 / 06

Reported

Email reports go to the abuse desks. Form-based reports are ready to paste into Google, Microsoft, Cloudflare, search removal and Action Fraud.

You: Paste the form reports into each form (about a minute each) and mark them as submitted.
We: We send the email reports from our system with your address as the reply-to, so recipients answer you directly.

Sent by us, from your case

Copy and submit

Registrar
Host + DMCA
Netcraft
APWG

Cloudflare
Google
Microsoft
Search removal
Action Fraud (UK)

Reply-to on every email: [email protected]

06 / 06

Down

Most first reports need a follow-up. We keep checking the site until it is gone.

You: Watch the case status and reply to any abuse desk that asks a question.
We: We recheck the site daily for 30 days, draft polite follow-ups for unanswered reports, and close the case once the site stays down.

Case log · illustrative

Down

Day 1
Reports sent. Site live.
Day 2
Recheck: live. No reply from host.
Day 3
Follow-up drafted for host, awaiting approval.
Day 4
Recheck: browser warning showing.
Day 5
Recheck: domain no longer resolves.

This shows the shape of a typical case, not a promise of timing. Every recipient decides at its own pace.

07Requirements

What you need to start a takedown.

Reports carry weight because they come from the real owner of the website, so we verify that you are before anything is sent. Beyond that, you need very little.

Required
Control of your real domain
You add a DNS TXT record or a meta tag we give you. This stops anyone using the service against a site they do not own.
Required
A named signatory
The name, role, email, phone and postal address of the person who signs the reports. Hosts and registrars expect a real contact.
Helpful
A registered trade mark
Reports cite it if you have one, but it is not required: your photos and text are your copyright automatically, and impersonating an organisation to take payments or details is fraud regardless.
Helpful
Your own evidence
Customer emails, order complaints and ad screenshots strengthen an Action Fraud report, so keep them.

08Where we report it

Nine places that can take a fake site down or block it.

Registrar abuse desk

Asks the company that sold the domain to suspend it. Usually the fastest route to taking the whole site offline.

Email, sent by us

Hosting provider abuse + DMCA notice

Abuse report plus a notice with every statutory DMCA element, sent to the network the site runs on.

Email, sent by us

Cloudflare

When the site is hiding behind Cloudflare, a report for Cloudflare's abuse form, which passes the complaint on to the real host.

Form, copy and submit · Only when the site is behind Cloudflare

Google Safe Browsing

Once accepted, Chrome shows its red warning page to anyone who tries to visit.

Form, copy and submit

Microsoft SmartScreen

The same warning in Edge and Windows.

Form, copy and submit

Netcraft

Feeds browser and security-vendor blocklists, and contacts hosts itself.

Email, sent by us

APWG

The Anti-Phishing Working Group's exchange, used by security vendors and law enforcement.

Email, sent by us

Search-result removal

A removal request for Google and Bing, with a check first so you only file it if the fake site is indexed.

Form, copy and submit

Action Fraud

The UK's national fraud reporting service. Gives you a crime reference to quote to banks and registrars.

Form, copy and submit · UK brands

One Takedown Pack is £99 per fake site, including 30 days of rechecks and follow-ups. Compare plans

Free check · about 20 seconds · no account

Start with the free check.

Paste the address of the fake site. We identify the registrar, the hosting provider, whether it is hiding behind Cloudflare, and who to report it to.

— Nothing is sent to anyone
— Looked up from our servers, not your browser
— Your result is saved at a private link

Start a takedown

Check the fake site free, then get it taken down.

Paste the address of the fake site. In about 20 seconds you will know who registered it, who hosts it and who can take it down. No account and no card are needed.

Check a fake site free See a sample pack