Working with the National Trading Standards eCrime Team, officers took action against the website gethearwell.co.uk, which was falsely presenting itself as the genuine Hereford-based hearing company Hearwell Ltd.

Hearwell, based on Plough Lane, offers a range of services for people with hearing impairments, including modern digital hearing aids.

The bogus site was using the Hearwell name and trademark without permission, giving customers the impression they were buying from the real business. The site was in fact selling inferior imitation hearing aids, leaving a lot of customers unsatisfied.

As a result, Hearwell has received a large number of complaints from customers who had unknowingly purchased products from the copycat website.

Trading Standards identified a number of serious concerns with the site, including the unauthorised use of a registered trademark, misleading claims about certification, the absence of legally required business contact details, and returns policies that did not comply with UK consumer protection regulations. Customers also reported receiving poor quality products and struggling to obtain refunds.

Following this work, the National Trading Standards eCrime Team successfully was able to suspend the fake gethearwell.co.uk website.

Within 24 hours, the operators launched a new website, tryhearwell.com, and began advertising that the business had moved there. Trading Standards again worked with the National Trading Standards eCrime Team to take action, and this second website has now also been suspended.

The operators have since launched another website but are no longer using the Hearwell name or trademark, meaning the legitimate Hearwell should no longer suffer reputational damage from copycat sites using its brand.

Herefordshire Council’s Cabinet Member for Roads and Regulatory Services, Cllr Barry Durkin said:

“Trading Standards teams play a vital role in protecting residents from scams and supporting legitimate local businesses.

“This case shows how important it is that we work with national partners to tackle online fraud and prevent people from exploiting trusted local brands.

“Thanks to the work of our Trading Standards officers and the National Trading Standards eCrime Team, these copycat websites have been taken down and the genuine Hereford business can continue serving its customers without its reputation being damaged.”

Clive Williams, owner of Hearwell Ltd in Hereford, said:

“We are extremely grateful to Herefordshire Trading Standards and the National Trading Standards eCrime Team for the support they have given us.

“These websites were using our name and causing a great deal of confusion for customers, as well as significant damage to our reputation with angry customers chasing support and the majority not receiving refunds. Their action in getting the websites taken down has made a real difference not only to us but the consumer who are at the heart of this online unscrupulous trading”

Herefordshire Trading Standards is reminding people to take care when shopping online.

A .co.uk domain name does not necessarily mean a business is based in the UK, and consumers are encouraged to research companies before making a purchase. Checking contact details, looking for independent reviews and being cautious of deals that seem too good to be true can help people avoid fraudulent websites.

The case will feature on the BBC consumer affairs programme Watchdog tonight (Wednesday 22 April) as part of the One Show on BBC 1 at 7pm.