Seven ways to easily spot a copycat fashion con & why taking a chance on a bargain site never pays off

IT’S frustrating to spot a dress you love on social media, only to click through to the website and find it is sold out.

It happened to me recently.

One of my favourite fashion influencers, Yasmin Devonport, showcased a gorgeous blue dress on her TikTok account.

At £120 from Asos, it wasn’t cheap but I could have justified it for a special occasion.

Alas, as often happens with fashion pieces that have gone viral, when I clicked through to Asos it was sold out.

A few days later, I spotted an ad with the video of Yasmin modelling the dress, from a brand called Like My Choice.

I hadn’t heard of it, but it describes its offerings as “the newest boho chic clothes and accessories”.

To my amazement, I found the blue dress on the website, using the same photos as Asos only with the model’s head curiously cropped off.

But this dress was £42 and in stock in my size.

Surely this was too good to be true?

My suspicions were raised by the niche pricing.

The website also had very little information about the brand.

I decided to order the dress anyway, but when it came to putting payment details in, the currency was converted to dollars making the price $54, plus $6.09 for shipping.

When ordering, I was notified it would arrive in six to ten days.

Ten days later it arrived.

To compare what was delivered, I ordered the £120 original dress from Asos in the only size it had left, a six.

At first glance, the dresses looked similar, but side by side the Asos dress was far better quality, and a deeper blue.

The cheaper dress material appeared flimsy compared to the £120 dress.

That said, it looked all right — and when I asked collea­gues which they thought was the more expensive, not everyone chose the Asos one.

However, morally, it did not feel right.

I’d fallen for the photos, which were clearly taken from another site, and the influencer’s TikTok account . . . and I have very little confidence in being able to return the dress.

Lynn Whiteside, 56, from Billingshurst, West Sussex, told me she has found it impossible to return a co-ord set she bought from Like My Choice for £50.40.

She found the material “cheap and nasty” and said: “I sent the company four emails asking how to get a full refund and heard nothing back.

“Eventually, on the fifth email, I told them I had written a negative review on Trustpilot and they replied . . . ”

But Lynn says they would only send a different size, not a refund.

She says “People need to be warned not to shop with this company.”

Other sites are also taking images from legitimate brands, or influencers’ videos, and passing them off as their own.

'TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE'

Briselle UK claims to be a “French Luxury Dress Label”, but it seems to be taking its images from UK brand House of CB.

Some customers complain of never receiving the product.

One Trustpilot review said: “Wish I’d read reviews. Seems I’ve lost my money as emailed several times to chase and nothing.”

Similarly, Beautley advertises big discounts but appears to be taking images from Aussie fashion brand Forever New.

One dress, the Amari Midi which retailed for £82 on Forever New, is called Amira Paradise on Beautley and £32.95 (discounted from £66) — using the same photos as Forever New.