How to report a fake store to Namecheap

Namecheap is a domain registrar and a web host. It takes abuse reports by email. Which address you use depends on what Namecheap does for the fake store: register the domain, host the site, or both.

Checked against Namecheap’s public abuse page on October 14, 2026. This is not legal advice. Namecheap can change its process, so check the linked page before you report.

When should you report a fake store to Namecheap?

Enter the clone’s domain at ICANN Lookup. If the registrar is “NameCheap, Inc.”, Namecheap registered the domain. If the site’s IP address belongs to Namecheap, it hosts the site too.

Namecheap’s abuse page lists these addresses:

Your report	Send it to
Phishing or fraud on a domain registered at Namecheap	abuse@namecheap.com
A site hosted by Namecheap	abuse@namecheaphosting.com
Copyright (your photos or text)	dmca@namecheap.com
Trademark dispute over the domain name	udrp@namecheap.com (UDRP or URS)

Know one limit before you send. When Namecheap is only the registrar, it says:

“Some types of abuse may not be verified from our side if we only act as a registrar and the abusive content resides on third-party servers. Due to this, we will not take restrictive action in order to avoid false-positive cases. This policy particularly affects copyright/DMCA, email abuse/spam, fraud, malware/hacking activity, etc.”

So for a clone hosted elsewhere, report phishing to Namecheap and send your copyright notice to the real host. Namecheap itself recommends “escalating websites that are registered with Namecheap only to their respective hosting provider”.

How do you report a fake store to Namecheap?

1. Save the evidence first. Take dated, full-page screenshots of the clone’s home page, a product page and the checkout. Do not enter real card details.
2. Find what Namecheap does for the site. Check the registrar at ICANN Lookup. Check who owns the site’s IP address.
3. Pick the address from the table above.
4. Paste the report below into a new email. Fill in the brackets.
5. Attach the screenshots. Keep them small and clearly named.
6. Log the report. Note the date, the address you used and any ticket number.

What evidence does Namecheap ask for?

Namecheap lists what it needs for each type of report.

• Phishing: “Abusive Domain Name(s), Abusive URL(s), Target of the attack (legitimate website), Country your IP address belongs to…, User-agent (mobile phone, PC) and browser”.
• Fraud: the domain, the URL, “Paid invoices or receipts, Screenshot of the abusive page, Email with full header and body”.
• Copyright: “An official DMCA Takedown Notice”.
• Trademark: “A formal notice of a trademark complaint that meets all the requirements set out in our Copyright and Trademark Policies.”

Use this checklist for a phishing report:

• The clone domain and the full address of each page
• Your real store address (the “target of the attack”)
• The country you viewed the clone from
• Your device and browser, for example “Windows PC, Chrome”
• Dated full-page screenshots, with the time zone
• Shopper receipts or complaints, if any, with personal details removed

Copy-paste report for Namecheap

Only include statements that are true for your case. Delete the lines that do not apply.

To: abuse@namecheap.com
Subject: Phishing: fake store impersonating [Your Brand]

Hello Namecheap abuse team,

I am reporting a domain registered with Namecheap that is used for
phishing. The site pretends to be our store and asks shoppers to pay
at its checkout.

Abusive domain name: [clone-domain.com]
Abusive URL(s):
- https://[clone-domain.com]/
- https://[clone-domain.com]/products/[product]
- https://[clone-domain.com]/checkout
Target of the attack (legitimate website): https://[your-store.com]
Country my IP address belongs to: [Country]
User-agent and browser: [for example, Windows PC, Chrome]

What the site does:
- It uses our store name, logo, product photos and descriptions.
- It asks visitors for payment card details at checkout.
- It is not connected to us. We have not authorised it.

Evidence attached: dated screenshots taken [date, time, time zone].

Please suspend this domain or take other action under your abuse
policy.

[Your name], [Title]
[Your Brand]
[Email] / [Phone]

For your photos and text, send a full DMCA notice to dmca@namecheap.com only if Namecheap hosts the site. Otherwise send it to the real host. The DMCA takedown generator writes the notice.

What happens after you report to Namecheap?

Namecheap decides what to do. It may suspend the domain, ask you for more details or take no action.

• Processing time: Namecheap says: “Our general abuse complaint processing time is 72 hours, but it may vary for each specific case.” It also says this “may not indicate the timeframe in which the issue will be resolved.”
• Replies: Namecheap says “we may not always respond with the results of our investigation”.
• Domain name disputes: for a domain that uses your trademark, Namecheap points to “the UDRP or URS” or a U.S. court. See UDRP complaints.

What if Namecheap does not act?

Since April 5, 2024, ICANN requires registrars to “promptly take the appropriate mitigation action(s)” when they have actionable evidence of DNS abuse, such as phishing. If a phishing clone stays up after a fair wait, file an ICANN DNS abuse complaint. ICANN asks you to show that you reported to the registrar first.

Other reports to send

• The host, with a copyright notice for your photos and text. Use the DMCA takedown generator.
• Google Safe Browsing and Microsoft, so browsers warn shoppers.
• The registry, for .shop domains: see the .shop registry guide.
• 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 and writes the notices for you to review and send. Early access on Pro: one click, and Recon files the reports for you. Namecheap or the host still decides whether to remove a site. Recon never removes sites itself.

Add Recon to Shopify, or run a free website check first.

Sources

• Namecheap, how and where to file abuse complaints: namecheap.com
• ICANN 2024 registrar agreement amendment: icann.org
• ICANN guide to DNS abuse complaints: icann.org (PDF)