🛒
Online Shopping Scams
Fake websites or deals that steal your money
🔍 How It Works
Scammers create fake online stores with unbelievable deals. You pay for items that never arrive, or receive cheap counterfeits. Some fake stores exist only to steal your credit card information.
📝 Real Examples
- •A Facebook ad shows designer handbags at 90% off. The website looks professional but the products never arrive.
- •You find an amazing deal on a popular item, but the site only accepts wire transfers or cryptocurrency.
- •After buying from a site, you start seeing unauthorized charges on your credit card.
⚠️ Warning Signs
- •Prices too good to be true
- •No physical address or phone number
- •Only accepts wire transfers or gift cards
- •Poor grammar and spelling on the site
- •No customer reviews or all reviews are perfect
🛡️ How to Protect Yourself
- •Use a credit card (not debit) for online purchases
- •Check for 'https' and a padlock in the address bar
- •Search for reviews of the website before buying
- •Be wary of social media ads with extreme discounts
📋 What To Do If It Happens
- •Contact your credit card company to dispute the charge
- •Report the fake website to the FTC
- •Change your passwords if you created an account
- •Monitor your credit card statements
📞 Where to Report
- •FTC: reportfraud.ftc.gov
- •BBB Scam Tracker: bbb.org/scamtracker
- •Your credit card company