Reviewed by the Foxmole editorial team · 2026-07-29
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Key takeaways
- Check the domain and contact details before you pay.
- Pay by card or PayPal for chargeback protection.
- Too-cheap prices plus urgency are bait.
Online shopping scams are a persistent category in consumer-fraud reporting. Most fake stores give themselves away if you run a few quick checks before paying.
Before you buy: a 60-second check
- Look up the store name plus “review” or “scam.” No footprint for a supposedly established shop is a warning.
- Check the domain carefully. Lookalikes swap letters or add words (
amaz0n-deals.com). The real domain is the part just before the first single slash. - Find real contact and company details. A legitimate shop has an address, a support channel, and clear returns/refund terms. Their absence is a red flag.
- Be wary of implausible prices. 80–90% off luxury goods is bait, not a deal.
- Confirm the checkout page is on the same domain and uses HTTPS. Encryption protects the transfer, but remember it doesn’t prove the seller is honest.
Pay in a way that protects you
- Credit cards and reputable payment services typically offer chargeback/dispute protection.
- Be cautious if a store insists on bank transfer, gift cards, or crypto, these are hard or impossible to reverse and are common in scams.
Which payment methods actually protect you
| Payment method | If it turns out to be a scam |
|---|---|
| Credit card | Strong protection, chargeback / dispute |
| PayPal | Strong protection, buyer protection |
| Bank transfer | Little to none, hard to reverse |
| Gift cards / crypto | None, treat these like handing over cash |
After you buy
- Keep the order confirmation and any receipts.
- Watch your statement for the correct amount and no extras.
- If something’s wrong, contact your card issuer or payment provider promptly to dispute it.
If you think you’ve been scammed
Contact your bank or card provider to stop or reverse the payment, change any password you reused on the fake site, and report it to your local consumer-protection or fraud authority (in the US, the FTC at reportfraud.ftc.gov).
A browser safety layer helps at the moment of risk
A reputation-checking extension can flag a known-bad or lookalike shopping site before the page loads, a useful backstop when a deal has you moving fast. See our guide on browser security extensions.