How to spot a fake online store or deal scam

How the typical scam works

The Federal Trade Commission describes a recurring pattern. An ad appears on social media for an expensive, brand-name item at an unbelievably low price. The ad links to a website that looks like a real store — often built with photos and logos taken from a legitimate business. You pay, and then you receive a counterfeit, an item that looks nothing like the ad, or nothing at all. The FTC's short version: "Unusually low prices are a sign of a scam."

Scammers may also pose as a real company you already know. That is why a familiar logo, a professional-looking site or a padlock in the address bar does not settle the question on its own.

Red flags before checkout

• A brand-name product priced far below what other stores charge, especially when you found it through a social-media ad.
• The seller insists on payment by gift card, wire transfer, payment app or cryptocurrency. The FTC says a seller demanding these is "probably a scam".
• On a marketplace, the seller asks you to pay outside the platform's checkout. The FTC warns you will likely lose the marketplace's buyer protections.
• No contact details, no clear return policy, or terms you cannot find before paying.
• Only stock images instead of photos of the actual item, or vague wording such as "refurbished", "vintage", "as is" or "close-out" that may signal lower condition.
• Reviews that are all glowing, all recent, or only on the seller's own site. The FTC notes fake reviews can be positive or negative and that some are incentivized without disclosure.

A five-minute seller check

• Search the name and the web address. Add "review", "complaint" or "scam". The FTC recommends this for any seller you have not bought from before.
• Type the address yourself. CISA advises against clicking links in unsolicited messages; go to the retailer by typing its web address into the browser.
• Read reviews from several places. Consider where each review appears, who wrote it and the reviewer's history rather than relying on the star average.
• Find the policies. Price, extra charges, refund policy, who pays return shipping and any restocking fee — the FTC lists all of these as terms to check.
• Check the connection, but don't stop there. An address beginning "https" means the connection is encrypted. Both the FTC and CISA note this does not make a site legitimate; scammers use encryption too.

Pay in a way you can undo

Paying by credit card offers the best protection, according to the FTC, because you can dispute charges for things like double billing, items you never received, or wrong or damaged goods. Gift cards, wire transfers, payment apps and cryptocurrency are hard to reverse once the money is gone. CISA similarly recommends a credit card over a debit card where possible, since credit cards generally offer stronger fraud protection. The returns and refunds guide explains the dispute process and its 60-day window.

After you order: fake delivery messages

Scams do not end at checkout. The FTC warns about unexpected texts and emails claiming a delivery attempt was missed or that you must "update shipping preferences", often with pressure to act before the parcel is returned to sender. The link leads to a look-alike page that collects personal and financial details, or installs malware that steals passwords.

Comparison table: payment methods

If you think you were scammed

1. Contact the seller and try to resolve it, keeping a written record.
2. If that fails, contact the company you paid through — your card issuer or bank — and dispute the charge.
3. Report the business to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov and to your state attorney general.
4. If personal or financial information was stolen, CISA points to IdentityTheft.gov, and recommends changing passwords immediately.