Retail & shopping scams

Amazon is the most impersonated brand in the United States. The scams are fake order confirmations with a number to call, "Amazon Prime is renewing" robocalls, and texts about a suspended account. Amazon will never call you unprompted, never asks for remote access to your device, and never takes payment in gift cards.

The Geek Squad scam is an emailed invoice for a subscription renewal of $300 to $500 that you never bought, with a phone number to cancel it. There is no link and no attachment, which is how it gets past spam filters. Calling the number is the scam — Best Buy does not email unexpected renewal invoices.

Walmart scams include fake gift card giveaways, phishing emails about orders you didn't place, and bogus customer survey rewards. Walmart will never call, text, or email asking for gift card numbers, personal information, or payment to claim a prize. Always verify orders at walmart.com.

Temu scams borrow the app's own referral mechanics: fake "claim your cash" links that harvest logins or card details, plus counterfeit storefronts and parcel-fee texts. Every real Temu promotion runs inside the Temu app — never through a link from someone you do not know.

Target scams include fake gift card giveaways, phishing emails about orders you didn't make, and bogus Target coupon offers shared on social media. Target will never contact you to ask for gift card numbers, personal information, or payment to claim a prize.

Costco scams include fake membership renewal emails, "anniversary promotion" gift card offers, and phishing messages about your Costco account. Costco will never email you asking to click a link to renew your membership or claim a free reward. Always manage your membership at costco.com.

Home Depot scams include fake gift card offers, phishing emails about online orders, and fraudulent contractor services advertised through the Home Depot name. Home Depot will never email you asking to click a link to verify your account or send unsolicited gift card offers. Always verify orders at homedepot.com.

Lowe's scams cluster around three things: fake social-media giveaways that harvest personal details, gift cards demanded as payment by other scammers, and contractors falsely claiming to be Lowe's-affiliated installers. Lowe's runs promotions only through lowes.com and its verified accounts.

CVS scams arrive as prescription-ready texts with payment links, ExtraCare "survey reward" offers, and calls about insurance or prescription problems. CVS never asks for payment by gift card and never asks for your Social Security number or full insurance details by text.

Walgreens scams use prescription-ready texts with payment links, myWalgreens "reward" offers requiring a card, and calls about insurance problems. Walgreens does not collect prescription payments through a link in a text and never asks for payment in gift cards.

Sam's Club scams centre on membership: a text or email saying your membership is expiring or a renewal payment failed, with a link to update your card. Sam's Club takes renewals in club, in the app, or at samsclub.com — never through a link in a message.

Macy's scams are mostly counterfeit storefronts — sites advertising a Macy's closing-down sale at 80-90% off that take your money and ship nothing, or ship a counterfeit. Macy's sells only at macys.com and in its own stores; there is no separate clearance site.

Wayfair scams are mostly counterfeit furniture storefronts — sites using Wayfair product photography to sell sofas at a fraction of their price, which never ship. Wayfair sells at wayfair.com and its own branded sites only; there is no separate clearance outlet.

SHEIN scams are mostly fake gift card giveaways on social media and counterfeit storefronts using SHEIN's product photos. SHEIN runs promotions only in its own app and on shein.com, and never asks for a card number to release a prize.