Scam websites can look professional, run ads, and copy real store layouts. Before entering a card number, password, or personal details, run a few checks that take less time than fixing fraud later.
Does this affect you?
Use this for online stores, deal sites, service pages, checkout forms, and any website reached from an ad, search result, email, text, or social media post.
Quick checks you can do in under a minute
Do this before filling out a checkout or account form.
- Read the domain name carefully. Scam sites often add words, use unusual endings such as .shop or .top, or misspell a real brand by one character.
- Do not rely on the padlock icon alone. HTTPS means the connection is encrypted; it does not mean the business is real. Scam sites can use HTTPS too.
- Look for real contact information, including a physical address, phone number, and clear return policy. A web form by itself is not reassuring.
- Search the store name plus scam, complaints, or reviews in a separate tab. A pattern of missing orders or fake products is a strong warning.
- Be skeptical of prices far below every other retailer, especially when paired with countdown timers, flash-sale banners, or only a few left messages.
Deeper checks if you are still unsure
Use these for expensive purchases or when the first checks are mixed.
- Reverse image search product photos with Google Lens or another image-search tool. Photos copied across many unrelated stores can signal a fake or low-quality listing.
- Check the domain age with a WHOIS lookup. A site claiming years of history but registered recently deserves caution.
- Review payment options. Credit cards and established checkout processors offer better protection than wire transfer, cryptocurrency, or payment-app transfers to a personal account.
- Read the shipping and return policy closely. Vague language, no returns, unusually long shipping windows, or no tracking details are warning signs.
- Search the company or site name in BBB Scam Tracker at bbb.org.
What to do if you already paid or entered information
Fast action gives you the best chance to limit losses.
- Contact your bank or card issuer immediately to dispute the charge or ask about stopping payment.
- If you used a debit card, bank transfer, or payment app, contact the provider right away. These are harder to reverse, so speed matters.
- If you entered a password reused elsewhere, change it on those other accounts now.
- Take screenshots of the website, checkout page, receipts, emails, and messages before the site disappears.
- Report the site at reportfraud.ftc.gov and through BBB Scam Tracker.
More control
Pressure tactics are part of the scam
Countdown timers and limited-stock warnings are meant to stop you from checking. A legitimate sale will survive a two-minute verification pause.
Ads are not proof of legitimacy
Scam stores can buy search and social media ads. Seeing a site advertised repeatedly does not mean the platform has verified the seller.
When uncertain, buy from a known seller
If the deal looks excellent but the store cannot be verified, search for the product through a retailer you already trust. The safer route is usually worth more than the advertised discount.
Sources
- FTC Consumer Advice – Online Shopping (2025)
- Better Business Bureau – BBB Scam Tracker (2025)
- CISA – Avoiding Social Engineering and Phishing Attacks (2025)