In short
Huge discounts, countdown timers and a shop that never delivers. How to check whether an online store is real before you pay.
Top warning signs: The website is only weeks old; Unrealistic discounts and countdown timers; No real contact details.
First thing to do: Paste the shop's address into our link checker to see the domain's age and warning signs.
How the scam works
Fake shops are cheap to build from templates, often using stolen product photos and copied reviews. They advertise on social media, usually for a few weeks, before switching to a new domain.
Red flags to look for
- The website is only weeks old. Our link check shows the domain's age. Brand-new shops with huge discounts are high risk.
- Unrealistic discounts and countdown timers. Pressure plus bargain.
- No real contact details. Just a form or a free email address, no company registration.
- Payment only by bank transfer or crypto. Or card payments that fail and push you to another method.
- Reviews only on the site itself. Check independent review sites.
What to do if you get one
- Paste the shop's address into our link checker to see the domain's age and warning signs.
- Search the shop's name plus “reviews” or “scam”.
- Pay by credit card or another method with buyer protection, so you can ask for a chargeback if nothing arrives. (In the UK, for example, credit card purchases between £100 and £30,000 also have Section 75 protection.)
If you already paid or shared details
Act quickly. It makes a difference.
- Contact your card provider and ask for a chargeback or claim.
- Report the site to your national fraud service and to the platform where you saw the ad.
More help: what to do after a scam, and where to report it in your country.
How to protect yourself next time
Keep security software with web protection on your devices
It blocks many known scam and malware websites and warns about dangerous apps. That matters most if you installed an app or "support" tool someone asked you to.
Free: Keep your phone and browser updated, and leave Google Play Protect or Microsoft Defender switched on. Both are free.
- Bitdefender Partner link Security suite for phone and computer with web and scam protection.
Watch for anyone using your identity
If you shared ID documents, card details or a Social Security number, monitoring can alert you when someone opens credit or accounts in your name.
Free: In the US, a credit freeze at Equifax, Experian and TransUnion is free and blocks most new-credit fraud. Elsewhere, ask your bank and your credit reference agency about fraud alerts.
- Aura Partner link US identity theft protection with credit monitoring and fraud insurance.
Compare the tools that help, and what each costs
Links marked Partner link may earn us a commission, at no cost to you. It never changes our advice, and the free option always comes first. Affiliate disclosure.
Questions people ask
The site has a padlock. Doesn't that mean it's safe?
No. The padlock only means the connection is encrypted. Scam sites have padlocks too.
Have you had this one?
Tell other people what the message said and how it reached you. It helps someone recognise it before they tap.
No stories yet. Yours could be the one that warns someone.
Official sources and further reading
We check our guides against advice from government agencies and consumer protection bodies.
- Shopping and paying safely online (UK National Cyber Security Centre)
- Website scams (Scamwatch, Australian Competition and Consumer Commission)
- Merchandise and counterfeit goods fraud (Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre)
