Counterfeit TikTok Shop tops Surfshark phishing blocks and remains active

Surfshark analyzed data from its web content blocker from April to September 2026, including block requests categorized as phishing, the domains associated with those requests and the monthly number of devices with its phishing protection enabled worldwide. Monthly phishing blocks rose from 104,962 in April to 655,024 in September, a 524% increase. The rise occurred even as more devices used Surfshark's protection, according to the report.

The fake TikTok Shop's activity stayed high in October. In the first 20 days of the month, it remained the most-blocked phishing domain and accounted for 18% of global phishing blocks during that time, Surfshark's data showed. The report did not disclose the domain name. The domain's continued operation comes before the Black Friday shopping period, when scams can increase.

TikTok Shop publishes scam protection instructions for phishing links. The company advises shoppers never to enter personal data into a website that is not the verified TikTok Shop, to look for common signs of phishing such as strange URLs, poor grammar or formatting errors, and to check seller ratings, reviews and cancellation rates before placing an order. It also advises checking the name of the payment recipient to verify payment is going to a TikTok Shop seller and contacting TikTok Shop support for verification when a seller's legitimacy is in question. Shoppers should not click links that redirect outside TikTok Shop, engage with buyers off-platform or share personal information, according to the instructions. TikTok Shop says it will never ask for sensitive information through third-party sites.

Editor's Summary

Surfshark's data shows a counterfeit TikTok Shop was the most-blocked phishing domain from May through September and remained active in October, accounting for nearly one in five global phishing blocks. The report also found a 524% rise in monthly phishing blocks from April to September. TikTok Shop's guidance urges shoppers to verify sites, sellers and payment recipients before ordering.