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Isla & James 'Ghost Store' Taken Down After NSW Fair Trading Intervention

The regulator warns of likely consumer law breaches, urging vigilance.

Overview

  • NSW Fair Trading says the site falsely claimed a co-founder named James was shot in the Bondi attack to push a closing-down sale, even though no victim had that name.
  • The website lacked a NSW trading address, phone number or ABN, and images of the supposed founders appeared to be AI-generated.
  • Commissioner Natasha Mann flagged potential misleading and unconscionable conduct under Australian Consumer Law and raised doubts that orders would be fulfilled.
  • The site and its Instagram ads were removed after regulator contact, with a warning the operation could reappear under different URLs.
  • Shoppers and TrustPilot reviews reported being misled and overcharged, noting identical items available on other platforms such as Shein for far less.