In this article
Fake shops copy the look of real stores, often using stolen product photos and reviews. They usually appear around big sales and holidays, advertise on social media, and disappear after a few weeks. A few quick checks catch most fake online shops.
Check the price first
A brand-new phone or designer bag at 60–80% off is the most common bait. Real retailers rarely discount current, popular products that much. If the price looks impossible, it usually is.
Look for a real business behind the site
- A street address and a company name, not just a contact form.
- An email address on the shop's own domain rather than a free mailbox.
- Return, refund and shipping policies written for this shop, not copied text that mentions another store's name.
- Social media accounts that are older than a few weeks and have real conversations.
Watch how they want to be paid
Card payments and PayPal can be disputed. Bank transfers, gift cards and crypto almost never come back. A shop that pushes you away from cards at checkout, or offers an extra discount for a transfer, is a strong warning sign.
Check the address itself
- Read the domain letter by letter. Scammers use names like amaz0n-outlet or brand-official-sale.
- Check our rating and visitor reports for the exact address.
- Search the shop name together with the word "scam" or "reviews" and read results from independent sites.
A new website is not automatically a fake shop. Every real business starts with a new domain. Judge the site on its prices, its contact details and its payment methods.
If you already ordered
Contact your card issuer straight away if the goods never arrive or are clearly fake. See our guide on what to do after an online scam.
