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The Consumer Affairs Agency has issued a warning about counterfeit e-commerce sites that are fraudulently using the brand logos of medical equipment manufacturer Omron Healthcare and headphone maker Ambie.

These fake websites, often promoted via social media ads, are luring consumers into purchasing unrelated or counterfeit products.

Consumers browsing social media platforms like Instagram and Facebook have reported encountering these fraudulent ads which prominently display Omron’s or Ambie’s logos, alongside product images, to create the illusion of authenticity. Some encourage consumers to make multiple purchases with discounts.

After clicking on the “purchase” links in these ads, buyers are directed to counterfeit websites. In many cases, the purchased items, which arrive after several days or weeks, turn out to be defective or missing logos, alerting consumers to the fraud. Many subsequently reached out to Omron or Ambie, only to discover the items were either unrelated to the companies or counterfeit versions of their products.

As of June, consumer protection centers across Japan had received 134 complaints related to these fake sites, with total reported losses amounting to roughly ?1.1 million. The fraudulent Omron sites mostly targeted older men in their 60s and 70s, while Ambie’s counterfeit websites appeared to focus on women in their 30s and 40s.

The agency has identified three website domains — herhaps.com, momolamall.com, and rizingbuy.com — so far falsely advertising Omron products, such as smartwatches and adhesive-type massage devices. One additional site, oauiofk.top, was found selling fake Ambie wireless ear cuff headphones, sometimes priced at less than half the cost of the genuine product.

The Consumer Affairs Agency is urging consumers to be vigilant when shopping online, highlighting several common red flags for fraudulent websites. These include missing business names and phone numbers, extremely low prices, limited payment options (with fake sites often only accepting cash on delivery or credit cards), and unnatural Japanese on the site. Fraudulent sites also tend to feature just one product per ad.

When visiting websites linked from social media ads, the agency stresses the importance of not relying on brand logos alone. To avoid falling victim to scams, consumers are encouraged to use online fraud checker tools, though they are not always foolproof.

Specifically, the agency warned that Omron does not manufacture or sell the type of smartwatches or massage devices frequently advertised on fake sites. As for Ambie, genuine products always feature the brand logo and have distinct packaging, earphone cases and charging cables.