Tel Aviv, Israel – June 2020 – BrandShield, the cybersecurity company offering online threat intelligence for companies globally, announces it has neutralized over 150 phishing websites targeting the Levi Strauss & Co‘s brand as part of their scam. The number of sites taken down has doubled compared with previous months.

As millions of people are in lockdown and retail stores are closed across the world, online shopping has seen a massive upswing. This uptick in online commerce brings with it a rising tide of online threats. Hackers are stepping up their efforts to perform different scams against brands, employees, and customers.

In recent months, BrandShield detected 429 new fraudulent domain names containing the name “Levis,” a 40 percent increase since the crisis began. However, phishing and fraud targeting the Levi’s brand are not constrained to just domain names with “Levis” in them. Even domains with unsuspicious names impersonate famous brands and falsely purport to sell their products. Such fraudulent sites steal money, data, login credentials, or credit card information. BrandShield was able to swiftly take down 90 percent of phishing and fraud sites targeting the Levi’s brand and is continuously working to stop the activity of others.

Through artificial intelligence (AI) and big-data analytics, BrandShield has detected increased fraudulent activity in sectors such as pharmaceuticals, medical supplies, banking, entertainment, foreign exchange, gaming, and e-commerce. Among the thousands of threats BrandShield has detected and neutralized in the past years for Levi Strauss & Co., it has identified several fraud networks that have also threatened other companies that BrandShield works to protect. The companies have approached the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to cooperate in stopping the people behind these networks. 

BrandShield has outlined a strategy with simple steps companies should take to address the growing online threat proactively: 

• Monitor the digital sphere for any fraudulent activity related to the company and its brands.
• Respond quickly and effectively to take down fake sites, social media accounts, or posts.
• Proactively educate employees and consumers how to avoid scams.
• Encourage consumers to purchase products from authorized distribution channels.
• Manage a complete online threat intelligence map, prioritizing potential threats, controlling reactions, and monitoring the results.
• Find vulnerabilities and secure weak spots, such as removing old company websites that fraudsters can take advantage of.

“The COVID-19 crisis is changing our lives,” says Yoav Keren, CEO of BrandShield. “On the one hand, people are spending more time online and becoming more accustomed to conducting online transactions. At the same time, criminals are increasing their online scam activities. We are proud to be spearheading the fight against these fraudsters and scammers so that companies and consumers can enjoy a safer environment online.”

“Stopping the infringing and fraudulent use of Levi Strauss & Co.’s trademarks are critical to brand health and value,” says Zach Toczyński, Director of Global Brand Enforcement at Levi Strauss & Co. “BrandShield is integral in our global protection strategy and has continued to neutralize threats with tremendous success. Its technology and expertise have enabled us to stay several steps ahead of the bad actors.”