Google Safe Browsing does not remove websites. It keeps a list of dangerous sites. When a site is on the list, Chrome shows a full-page red warning, “Deceptive site ahead”, before the page loads. Most shoppers stop there.
A report takes two minutes and needs no legal statement. Send one for every fake store that tries to take card or login details, on the day you find it.
Checked against Google’s public pages on October 14, 2026. Google can change its process, so check the linked pages before you report.
When should you report a fake store to Google Safe Browsing?
Report when the fake store pretends to be your store to get something from shoppers: card details at a fake checkout, or a login. Google describes the form like this:
“If you believe you’ve encountered a page designed to look like another page in an attempt to steal users’ personal information, complete the form below to report the page to the Google Safe Browsing team.”
A clone that only copies your photos, with no checkout or login, is a copyright problem. Send that to the host with a DMCA notice.
Google says Safe Browsing “helps protect over five billion devices every day by showing warnings to users when they attempt to navigate to dangerous sites”. Its overview lists Chrome and other browsers, Google Search, Gmail and Android.
How do you report a fake store to Google Safe Browsing?
- Save the evidence first. Take a dated screenshot of the clone’s checkout or login page. Do not enter real card details.
- Open Report a Page to Google Safe Browsing.
- Paste the exact URL of the page that asks for card or login details, for example the checkout page.
- Add the short note below if the form offers a details box.
- Complete the check and submit.
- Repeat for each clone. Each fake store needs its own report.
- Log the report with the date and the URL.
What evidence should you have ready?
Google does not ask you to upload files. Keep your own record anyway.
- The exact URL of the page that asks for card or login details
- The name and address of the real store it imitates
- A dated screenshot of the page, with the time zone
- A line on what the page asks shoppers to enter
Copy-paste note for Google Safe Browsing
Keep it short. Only include statements that are true for your case.
This page impersonates [Your Brand] (https://[your-store.com]). It
copies our store name, logo and products and asks visitors to enter
payment card details at checkout. It is not connected to us. Seen on
[date, time, time zone].What happens after you report to Google Safe Browsing?
Google decides whether to add the page to its list.
- Confirmation: not stated by Google. Its report page only says reports go to “the Google Safe Browsing team”.
- Review steps: not stated by Google.
- Timing: not stated by Google. Ignore third-party claims of fixed review times.
To check the result, open the clone in Chrome after a day or two. If it shows “Deceptive site ahead”, the warning is live. The site is still online. Shoppers on other browsers or apps may still reach it, so send your registrar and host reports too.
Other reports to send
- Microsoft, so Edge can show a warning too.
- The registrar, for example Dynadot, Namecheap or GoDaddy.
- The host, with a copyright notice from the DMCA takedown generator.
- See how to report a fake Shopify store for every channel, and download all the templates.
Let Recon prepare the reports
Recon is a Shopify app that watches for clones of your store. On every plan, it finds who to report each clone to, including Google Safe Browsing and Microsoft, and writes the notices for you to review and send. Early access on Pro: one click, and Recon files the reports for you. Google decides whether to show a warning. Recon never removes sites itself.
Add Recon to Shopify, or run a free website check first.
Sources
- Report a Page to Google Safe Browsing: safebrowsing.google.com
- Google Safe Browsing overview: safebrowsing.google.com
- Google, report quality issues: developers.google.com
- Google, social engineering (phishing and deceptive sites): developers.google.com
Explore Recon’s Shopify brand protection tools
All knowledge