Online Shopping Scams
Last updated September 18, 2026
The short answer
You found a product online at an amazing price, on a website, social media ad, or marketplace listing. You paid, but the item never arrived, it's completely different from what was advertised, or the seller has disappeared. Fake online stores and too-good-to-be-true deals are one of the most common scams.
How it works
- 1
They lure you with unreal prices
A social media ad or website sells popular items at 50-90% off. Designer brands for $30. Electronics at a fraction of retail. The prices are meant to short-circuit your judgment.
- 2
The website looks legitimate
They copy the design of real retail sites. They have product photos (stolen from real retailers), shopping carts, and checkout pages. Some even have fake customer reviews.
- 3
You pay and wait
The order "confirmation" email looks normal. But the tracking number is fake or belongs to a different shipment. Days pass. Then weeks.
- 4
The item never comes (or it's junk)
Either nothing arrives, or you get a cheap knockoff nothing like the photos. When you try to contact customer service, there's no response. The website might even disappear.
Warning signs
- Prices that are significantly lower than every other retailer
- A website you've never heard of with no phone number or physical address
- The site only accepts wire transfers, crypto, or gift cards (not credit cards)
- Poor grammar, blurry images, or copied product descriptions
- Social media ads from stores with very few followers or brand new accounts
- No real customer reviews (or only 5-star reviews that sound generic)
- The URL looks strange or the site was just created recently
What it looks like
Facebook ad for 80% off designer shoes
An ad on Facebook shows Nike sneakers for $29.99 (regularly $150). The website looks professional. You order two pairs. Six weeks later, you receive a small plastic bag with thin foam flip-flops worth about $1.
Instagram store selling electronics
An Instagram account selling refurbished iPhones at half price has 10,000 followers and glowing comments. You DM them and pay via Zelle. The account blocks you after payment.
Too-good-to-be-true clearance site
A Google ad leads to what looks like a major retailer's clearance sale. The URL is slightly different (like "walmart-clearance-sale.test"). You enter your credit card info. Your card gets charged, but no order ever ships, and the scammers now have your card number.
What to do
- Contact your bank or credit card company and request a chargeback. If you paid by credit card, you have strong protection.
- If you paid through PayPal, Venmo, or Zelle, file a dispute through that platform.
- Report the website or social media ad to the platform it appeared on.
- Don't engage with the seller if they offer a "partial refund" to keep you from filing a dispute. That's a common tactic.
- Save screenshots of the product listing, order confirmation, and any communication.
- Report it to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.
Who gets targeted
Anyone who shops online can encounter these scams. They spike during holiday shopping seasons and sales events like Black Friday. Social media platforms are the #1 source, and scam ads are mixed in with legitimate ones.
A great price on something you've been wanting can override your usual caution. That's exactly what scammers count on.
By the numbers
- Online shopping was the second most-reported fraud category of 2024, behind imposter scams
- FTC, 2025
- $503 million lost to goods paid for and never delivered in 2025
- FBI IC3, 2026
- $2.1 billion was lost to scams that started on social media in 2025
- FTC, 2026
Frequently asked questions
How do I get a refund for something I bought from a fake online store?
If you paid by credit card, contact your card company and request a chargeback. Credit cards offer the strongest buyer protection. If you paid via PayPal or another service, file a dispute through that platform. Wire transfers and gift card payments are very difficult to recover.
How can I tell if an online store is legitimate?
Check if the site has a real contact page with a phone number and address. Search for reviews outside the site. Use tools like WHOIS to see when the domain was registered (new domains are suspicious). Be cautious of prices that are dramatically lower than everywhere else.
Companies used in online shopping scams
These are the brands scammers hide behind in this scam. Each guide covers what that company will never ask you for, and how to report it to them directly.