Contact from angry customers has since slowed down now but she said it had left her worried about the future of her online business.<\/p>\n
“People are worried about a scam with a similar name and that makes it really hard.”<\/p>\n
“I probably am not getting the amount of sales I should be getting,” she said. <\/p>\n
The scam website, C’est la vie Birmingham, states it is run by couple called Patrick and Eileen and claims in adverts on Facebook that Eileen is selling up due to the death of her husband.<\/p>\n
Ms Newman said the business mix-up was so severe, she received messages of sympathy from customers wishing her well after her husband’s death. <\/p>\n
“It’s crazy as our websites are completely different. I sell sterling silver, dainty pieces and engagement jewellery,” she said.<\/p>\n
Her business is one of many that have been duplicated by foreign firms claiming to be independently-run to lure customers into believing they are getting high quality goods from trusted sellers. <\/p>\n
The reality could not be more different, as clothes, jewellery and other items are mass shipped from warehouses in east Asia with customers forced to pay high fees if they return anything.<\/p>\n