Susan found the jacket online three days before her birthday. Same brand. Same color. Forty percent off. The website looked clean, the reviews were glowing and checkout took less than a minute.
Two weeks later, the jacket never arrived. She emailed the seller. No reply. She checked her bank account. The charge was real, but the store's website was gone. When she looked closer, the URL had an extra letter she never noticed at checkout. It was not the real brand's website at all.
Then her bank called. Someone had used her card details to make three purchases in another state.
Susan bought from a fake shopping site that copied the look of a real brand's store. The site collected her payment details and disappeared. Scam shopping sites spike sharply in October and November, timed to catch people during sales events and the holiday rush. The FBI and FTC both warn about this pattern each year.
A stolen card number is a fast problem to fix. A stolen identity is not. Fake shopping sites collect more than payment details. They collect your name, address, phone number, and sometimes your email password if you create an account. That information gets sold or reused. One careless click during a sale can cost you far more than the item's price.
Check the URL before you enter any payment details. Look for small misspellings or extra words. The real site for a brand is usually simple and direct.
Look for HTTPS and a padlock icon, but do not stop there. Fake sites use HTTPS too. It means the connection is encrypted, not that the seller is trustworthy.
Search the store name plus the word "scam" or "reviews" before buying from a site you do not recognize.
Use a credit card instead of a debit card for online purchases. Credit cards offer stronger fraud protection and easier dispute options.
Never create an account on an unfamiliar shopping site using your work email or your primary personal email.
Turn on transaction alerts with your bank so you see charges the moment they happen.
✔ Open your bank or credit card app and confirm that transaction alerts are turned on for every purchase.
✔ If you saved any shopping sites to your browser bookmarks, check that the URLs are correct.
✔ Report fake or suspicious shopping sites to the FTC at reportfraud.ftc.gov.
I check the full URL before entering payment details online.
I use a credit card, not a debit card, for online shopping.
I search for reviews before buying from a new site.
I have transaction alerts turned on with my bank.
I know how to report fraud to my bank and to the FTC.
Before you enter your card number anywhere online, pause and read the full URL in the address bar. One extra second can save you weeks of headaches.