Chapter 11 · Online Shopping Safety

Online Shopping Scams: How to Spot a Fake Store Before You Click “Buy”

Shopping online is easy, and that is exactly why scammers love it. You can't hold the product, you can't see the store, and you often pay a stranger before anything arrives. Scammers don't need to break into your computer. They just need you to trust the wrong website, the wrong ad, or the wrong message for a few seconds.

Why online shopping is a scammer's favorite place to hunt

Here is a fictional example of a common scam. Linda saw an ad on Facebook for a name-brand winter coat at 80% off. The website looked professional, with photos, reviews, and a countdown timer. She paid $49 with her debit card. The coat never came. The website disappeared two weeks later. Linda had paid, but she had no coat and no response from the seller.

Linda didn't do anything foolish. The fake store was built to look real. No single clue proves a store is fake or honest. This chapter shows you how to put several clues together before you click “Buy.”

A note for readers outside the United States: the payment protections, deadlines, and reporting websites in this chapter are for the U.S. Check your own country's rules and consumer protection agencies.

Scam #1: Fake online stores, unbelievable deals, and fake reviews

Fake stores are websites made to look like real shops. You might find them through ads on Facebook, Instagram, or TikTok, or in search results. Some sell nothing at all. Others send cheap knockoffs that look nothing like the photos.

How it works: The scammer builds a pretty website in a few hours. They advertise huge discounts on popular items. You pay, and either nothing arrives or junk arrives. When you ask for a refund, nobody answers.

Warning signs (the more you see, the more careful you should be):

• Brand-name items at 60% to 90% off. A new game console for $79 is bait, not luck.
• A store you have never heard of, with an odd web address like nike-outlet-sale[.]example or bestdeals-store24[.]example
• A “closing sale” or countdown timer pushing you to hurry
• Payment only by Zelle, Cash App, wire transfer, crypto, or gift card
• Reviews that all appear within a few days, use the same words, sound like ads, or exist only on the store's own site
• Spelling and grammar mistakes. But remember: a polished, professional-looking site does not prove a store is real.
• No phone number or street address. This is a reason to look closer, not proof of fraud. Many honest small shops (including Etsy and Shopify sellers) only offer email support and have no storefront.

Reading reviews: Read the one-star and three-star reviews, not just the five-star ones. They may reveal recurring problems with delivery, quality, or refunds.

How to check a store you don't know

1. Search the store's name plus the words complaint, scam, and reviews.
2. Read results from several independent places, such as the Better Business Bureau (bbb.org), Trustpilot, and Reddit, not just the store's own website.
3. Read the store's shipping and return policies. Look for clear delivery times and who pays for returns.
4. Check that the business name, email, and contact details match across the website, receipts, and reviews.
5. Pay with a method that lets you dispute the charge (see “Pay the smart way” below).

Finding no complaints doesn't prove a store is trustworthy. Brand-new scam stores often have no complaints yet.

One more easy step: Type the store's real address yourself instead of clicking an ad. If you want Nike, go to nike.com.

Scam #2: Fake delivery texts and emails

When you shop online, you expect packages. Scammers know this. They send fake messages pretending to be USPS, UPS, FedEx, DHL, or Amazon. These spike during the holidays, when almost everyone is waiting on something.

Red flags to watch for:

• A text from a regular phone number or strange email address
• A link that is not the company's real website (USPS is usps.com, not usps-help-delivery[.]example)
• A small fee to “release” or “reschedule” your package
• Urgent warnings like “final notice” or “package will be returned”
• A message about a package when you didn't order anything

What to do instead:

• Don't click links in unexpected delivery messages.
• Check your shipment through the retailer's app or the carrier's official website, typed in yourself.
• According to the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the USPS tracking texts you sign up for don't contain links. A “USPS” text with a link is a scam, even if you've signed up for tracking texts.
• Report the text first by forwarding it to 7726 (that spells SPAM on your keypad). Then delete it.

Scam #3: Fake orders, refunds, and “problem with your account” messages

This scam tries to scare you. You get an email or text that says you bought something expensive, like a $799 iPhone or a $499 gift card order on Amazon. You didn't buy it, so you panic and call the number in the message.

The person who answers sounds helpful. They say they will cancel the order or give you a refund. Then they ask you to install a program on your computer, log in to your bank, or read them a code sent to your phone. That is how they take your money.

Other versions of this scam:

• “Your Amazon account has been locked. Verify your information.”
• “We were unable to process your payment. Update your card.”
• “You are owed a refund of $349. Call us to claim it.”
• “Suspicious purchase on your PayPal account. Call now if this wasn't you.”

Red flags to watch for:

• An unexpected message that pressures you to call the phone number it gives you
• Pressure to act right now
• Any request to install software, share your screen, or read back a code
• Someone accidentally “refunding” you too much and asking you to send the difference back

What to do instead:

• Never call a number from the message. Open the Amazon, PayPal, or store app yourself and check your orders.
• If you don't see the order there or on your bank or card statement, it was most likely a fake message. If you're still worried, contact the company using the phone number or help page on its official website.
• Real companies will never ask you to pay a refund back with gift cards, crypto, or cash.
• Never give a stranger remote access to your computer or phone.

Scam #4: Marketplace and lookalike website scams

Places like Facebook Marketplace, Craigslist, and OfferUp connect you with strangers. Scammers use these sites and also build lookalike websites that copy Etsy, Amazon, eBay, or Walmart.

Common tricks:

• Pay first, never receive. The seller wants a deposit by Zelle or Cash App to “hold” the item. Once you pay, they vanish.
• The verification code trick. A “buyer” or “seller” asks you to read back a code sent to your phone. They use it to take over your Google Voice, Facebook, or other account.
• Paying outside the platform. The seller asks you to pay by text, email, or a payment app instead of through Etsy, eBay, or Facebook checkout. Paying outside the platform can make your purchase ineligible for its buyer protection.
• Lookalike websites. A link takes you to a page that looks exactly like Etsy or Amazon, but the address is slightly wrong, such as etsy-checkout-secure[.]example.
• Pets and rentals. Cheap puppies or apartments that you must pay for before seeing. For pet and rental listings, never send money until you or someone you trust has seen the animal or the home in person.

What to do instead:

• For local deals, meet in a safe public place, like a police station parking lot, and see the item before you pay.
• Pay through the platform's own checkout when it offers one.
• Never share a code that was texted to you. No real buyer or seller needs it.
• Look at the website address carefully before you log in or pay.

Scam #5: Gift card traps, fake giveaways, and hidden subscriptions

Gift card traps. Using a store's gift card at that store's own checkout is perfectly normal. The scam is when someone tells you to buy gift cards and send them the numbers or PIN from the back. Once a scammer has those numbers, the money is usually gone for good.

• Anyone who demands payment by sending gift card numbers is a scammer. Real stores, the government, utility companies, and tech support don't ask for this.
• Before buying a gift card in a store, check that the package hasn't been opened and the back hasn't been scratched.
• If you already sent gift card numbers to a scammer, call the company that issued the card right away (see “If you got scammed while shopping online” below).

Fake giveaways and prizes. “You won a $500 Walmart gift card!” or “Take this survey for a free iPhone!” are traps to collect your personal or card information. If you didn't enter a contest, you didn't win one.

“Just pay shipping” and hidden subscriptions. A “free” product or “free trial” can quietly sign you up for monthly charges. Before you enter your card:

• Read the fine print for words like “membership,” “auto-renew,” or “subscription.”
• Write down when the trial ends and how to cancel.
• Check your bank and card statements every month for charges you don't recognize.

Pay the smart way

How you pay matters as much as where you shop. Some payment methods let you dispute a charge if something goes wrong. Others are like handing over cash. No method guarantees you'll get your money back, but some give you a much better chance.

Payment warning signs:

• The seller won't accept credit cards or PayPal Goods & Services
• The seller offers a discount if you pay by Zelle, crypto, or gift card
• The checkout sends you to a different website you don't recognize. Some honest stores use outside payment companies (like Shopify, PayPal, Stripe, or Square), so pause and check that the payment page belongs to a company you know before you enter your card.
• The checkout page's address doesn't start with https://, or your browser shows a security warning. Remember that many fake stores use https:// too, so it doesn't prove a seller is honest.

Tip: Keep one credit card just for online shopping. That makes it easier to monitor and report suspicious charges.

If you got scammed while shopping online

First, don't be embarrassed. These scams fool smart, careful people every day. Acting fast gives you the best chance of getting your money back.

1. Paid with a gift card? Call the card company first. Use the phone number on the back of the card and tell them it was a scam. Sometimes they can freeze the money before it's spent, but only if you move quickly.
2. Call your bank or card company right away. Use the number on the back of your card. Be clear about what happened: “Someone charged my card without my permission” (an unauthorized charge), or “I paid for something, but it never arrived or wasn't what was promised” (a purchase problem). These can be handled differently, so describe exactly what happened as clearly and accurately as you can. Ask for a new card number if you typed your card into a fake website.
3. Save the evidence promptly. Take screenshots of the listing or ad, the website address, your receipt, the promised delivery date, every message, and your payment record. Do this as soon as you can, before the website or messages disappear.
4. Follow up in writing. Call your bank or card company immediately, then follow its dispute instructions. For U.S. credit-card billing errors, send a letter to the billing-dispute address so it reaches the issuer within 60 days after the first statement containing the error was sent to you. Keep a copy. Debit-card rules differ, so report problems immediately and ask which deadlines apply.
5. Dispute PayPal purchases through the PayPal Resolution Center. There are time limits, so don't wait.
6. Report it to the platform. If it happened on Etsy, Amazon, eBay, or Facebook Marketplace, use their “report” or “help” pages. They can sometimes refund you and remove the scammer.
7. Change your passwords for any account you logged in to through a fake link. Turn on two-step login (an extra check after your password, such as a code or an approval on your phone) if you haven't already.
8. Report the scam to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov and to the FBI at ic3.gov. Reports help stop scammers, even if they don't get your money back.
9. Watch your accounts for the next few months for strange charges.

Disputing a charge doesn't guarantee you'll get your money back, but acting quickly and keeping good records gives you the best chance. See Chapter 7 for the complete recovery action plan, including how to protect your identity.

Quick checklist: before you click “Buy”

Print this page and keep it near your computer. One “no” doesn't mean a store is fake, but several should make you stop.

• Do I know this store, or did I search its name plus “complaint,” “scam,” and “reviews”?
• Did I type the website address myself instead of clicking an ad or link?
• Is the website address spelled exactly right?
• Is the price believable?
• Are the shipping times, return policy, and contact information clear?
• Am I paying with a method that lets me dispute the charge, like a credit card or PayPal Goods & Services?
• If the marketplace offers checkout with buyer protection, am I using it and checking whether my purchase qualifies?

Remember the golden rule: If a deal or a message makes you feel rushed, excited, or scared, slow down. Scammers count on you acting before you think.

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