Online Shopping Scams
Fake Online Store
Fraudulent e-commerce websites that take your payment but never deliver products, or send counterfeit/inferior goods.
Reported Losses
$770 million (FTC 2024)
Primary Targets
Online shoppers, bargain hunters
Last Updated
2026-01-06
Also Known As
Fake Shopping Site
How Scammers Contact You
How This Scam Works
Scammers create convincing fake stores with incredible deals:
**How they look legitimate:** - Professional website design - Stolen product photos from real stores - Fake reviews and testimonials - Accepts major credit cards - Shows trust badges (often fake)
**What happens:** - You order and pay - Order confirmation email (sometimes) - Product never arrives, OR - You receive cheap knockoff or completely different item - Customer service is unresponsive - Site disappears after a few months
Red Flags to Watch For
- ⚠️Prices too good to be true (70-90% off)
- ⚠️Recently created website (check WHOIS)
- ⚠️Poor grammar and spelling
- ⚠️No physical address or phone number
- ⚠️Only accepts unusual payment methods
- ⚠️No or fake reviews
- ⚠️Copied content from legitimate stores
- ⚠️URL similar to but not exact match of known store
📝 Real Victim Account
"I found a Facebook ad for a clothing store with 80% off designer brands. The site looked professional. I ordered $200 worth of clothes. After 3 weeks, nothing arrived. I tried to contact them — no response. The site disappeared. My credit card company refunded me, thankfully."
— BBB Scam Tracker
How to Protect Yourself
- 1Research the store before buying — search "[store name] reviews" or "scam"
- 2Check WHOIS for domain age — scam sites are usually new
- 3Look for a real physical address and phone number
- 4Use a credit card for better fraud protection
- 5Be wary of ads on social media with huge discounts
- 6Check if the URL exactly matches known brands
- 7Read reviews on external sites, not just on the store
🆘 What to Do If You're a Victim
- 1Dispute the charge with your credit card company
- 2Report to FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov
- 3Report the site to Google Safe Browsing
- 4Report to the social media platform where you saw the ad
- 5Leave warnings in reviews and scam databases
- 6If you provided personal info, monitor your credit
🔗 Related Scams
📚 Sources & References
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