Online Shopping Scams: Think Twice If You Spot These Website Red Flags

Online shopping scams are becoming increasingly common as swindlers develop more sophisticated tactics. The Pew Research Center reports that nearly two-thirds of Americans have reported coming into contact with an online scam recently. The figures are even more terrifying when broken down by type of scam. Almost one in two Americans have had their credit card information stolen online, and 36% have been tricked into buying a counterfeit product. As reported by CBS News, the FBI claims that in 2024 alone, online scammers stole an alarming $16.6 billion.

Tragically, scammers are targeting the country's most vulnerable, such as the elderly and SNAP recipients, putting these groups at greater risk of succumbing to con artists. Since local police and even federal agencies are ill-equipped to handle cybercrime — especially when the perpetrator is operating from a foreign country — the best way to protect against online shopping scams is to avoid them in the first place. If you spot the following website red flags, you should consider closing that tab of the browser immediately.

Before interacting with any site, check to ensure that the URL — the site's address that appears on the search bar — looks legit. All site links should begin with "https://," which stands for Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure. In simple words, HTTPS encrypts information shared between the websites you're visiting and your browser, such as Chrome, Internet Explorer, Safari, or Firefox. Some internet browsers hide the "https://" portion of the link for a cleaner user experience, but you can double-click on the search bar to see if it's there or not. Most modern browsers will show the image of a lock next to the URL when HTTPS is present, and will alert you when it's missing, but it can't hurt to double check.

If HTTPS is not present on a website's URL, click away immediately. The insecure connection puts your personal information at risk, especially if you're sharing bank account numbers, credit card details, personal identifiers, or other confidential data. Some legitimate websites will often choose not to implement the protective protocol because of the additional costs, and although this is a major red flag for any website, the presence of the "https://" at the start of the link doesn't automatically mean you're safe.

Google doesn't like new websites, preferring to present users with older or more established sites. You should employ the same skepticism when browsing the internet. That's not to say a fresh site can't be legit or that all aged sites are good to go. Instead, this is simply another variable to consider when weeding out the scam sites from the authentic ones. Online scammers don't like to stick around in a single area for a long period of time. This limits their chances of being caught, while also keeping unwitting users from catching onto the fraud. That's why it's common for fishy shopping sites or platforms to be extremely new.

If you're not seeing any proof of an established business on a site, you might want to think twice. Since site owners can put any information they want on the site, don't trust published dates. Start by simply Googling the business's name, not the URL. For example, you'd search for "Dick's Sporting Goods," instead of "www.dickssportinggoods.com." If the site's webpages show up in the search results, that means they've been indexed by Google. Sometimes, the publish date of the pages will also show up. The most surefire and direct route to determine the age of a website is to use who.is — a massive database of URLs and related information that will tell you when a website was made and who registered it.

Most reputable websites have various webpages designed to establish trust, inform visitors, and protect them against scamming, and it's become common practice for sites to have contact details, terms and conditions, and privacy policies. The purpose of these pages is to let people know how the site handles visitor data, what users can expect when interacting with the site, and where people can go to get more information or contact a representative. These inclusions are so baseline that the entire European Union and many states in the U.S. now require them by law.

Online shopping scams often forgo these pages, hoping nobody will notice. According to the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, the omission of these documents could mean the owner of the website is located abroad or that the seller doesn't accept payment via secure and established payment methods. The lack of regulation surrounding these pages also means they're easy to replicate. Thus, their presence doesn't automatically mean a website is safe. Make sure to take other factors into account when determining the legitimacy of a site.

Misspellings, punctuation errors, grammar mistakes, and other language-related issues are another red flag to be on the lookout for when visiting a new site. Some well-known brands intentionally misspell or use a clever alternative to separate themselves from the competition, such as Frooty Loops or Krispy Kreme. However, pervasive spelling mistakes or grammar violations may suggest a site is run by a con artist. The one-off typo isn't anything to worry about, but site-wide blunders are something to consider. It could mean the site is thrown together quickly and not focused on user experience.

Either way, you can surmise the intention is to catch people off guard, not offer a good customer service experience. This misspelling as a warning sign pertains to site links, too. Many scammers will attempt to mimic an established site by purchasing a URL that's one or two letters off from an official site, hoping to trick users who are in a hurry. You don't have to become a full-time editor: A quick browse at the website should be enough to tip you off if something is wrong.

In the past, URL extensions were limited to a handful of options, including .com, .edu, .net, and .gov, with the final example reserved for official government sites. Today, nearly 1,600 domain extensions are floating around the internet, with many available to anyone who wants to make a website. This proliferation of website naming options has made it more challenging for users to determine which sites are fraudulent. This situation is further complicated by the fact that the most commonly used URL extensions represent an outsized portion of malicious websites. 

For example, a study by Palo Alto Networks found that almost 50% of all "malicious domains" include a .com ending, a trend that's seen across other popular domain extensions. The report further acknowledged that some scammers tend to gravitate towards less common endings, including .top, .cf, .club, .ml, and .pw. While fewer malicious sites use these obscure extensions compared to more popular versions, a higher percentage of scam sites exist within these domain endings. If you're on a site with an unfamiliar letter series at the end, toss it into Google to see what comes up. If it seems to be random and irrelevant to the site's niche — for example, using the .top extension for banking sites — proceed with caution.

Payment schemes are another potential red flag to keep an eye out for when detecting online shopping scams. Paying with credit or debit cards is ideal for consumer protection, since you can always dispute a fraudulent charge with your bank. You aren't guaranteed that same protection or benefit of the doubt when using other, non-traditional payment forms, such as Cash App, Zelle, Venmo, PayPal, or cryptocurrency. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) actively warns consumers when using these third-party payment apps to complete online purchases. There's nothing inherently wrong with using these payment methods, but they're common targets for scammers.

According to the FTC, there are some hallmark tactics online scams employ when pushing visitors to use these third-party apps. The government warns against sending any payments in response to claims that you've won a sweepstake or a prize. Requests for payments from unidentified or unfamiliar accounts are another telltale sign of a scam. If you're tricked into sending money to a fraudster via one of these payment apps, authorities recommend reaching out to the payment company directly, reporting the expense as fraudulent. There's no guarantee, but immediately following up increases your chances of getting a refund. This is another good reason you should think twice about throwing away your receipt, even if it's digital. 

Remember the old saying, "If something sounds too good to be true, it probably is"? Well, you should arm yourself with that truism when filtering out fake websites. Many scammers will put up unreasonably good deals in the hopes that shoppers will overlook otherwise questionable details, such as a low-quality site, an uncommon URL extension, or a lack of security features. Since these fraudsters don't plan on honoring the deal in the first place, they're not limited by goodwill or even laws against false advertising. These too-good-to-be-true deals can be related to products or services, meaning consumers need to have their eyes peeled no matter what they're looking to buy.

In 2025 alone, the FTC has cracked down on this misleading practice in some high-profile cases. In June, the agency granted refunds totaling more than $2 million to customers who were duped by get-rich-quick schemes and fraudulent coaching programs. In another case involving $20 million in damages, the FTC targeted sites that had promised buyers millions in profits through passive means.

Email is positively ancient when compared to social media, messaging apps, and other modern forms of online communication. However, it still dominates the online space. According to Email Chef, 99% of people on the internet use email. With this prevalence of use, you might assume emails can't help you identify an online shopping scam. In reality, they can be very telling. The majority of reputable sites have email addresses that match their website name. For instance, the customer support email for Spotify is support@spotify.com. Notice the company's official URL is after the @ sign. Scam sites often use email accounts that aren't tied to any website's URL, let alone the correct URL.

Before clicking on or sending something to a message to an email address you haven't seen before, look at what comes after the @ sign. Sometimes, you have to click on a person's profile in your email application to see their full email address. If it doesn't match the site they claim to be from, you're probably in touch with a swindler. Already on a website? Head to the contact page to see if any email addresses are listed. If you don't see any, you probably dodged a bullet. Using deceptive emails is so common that it's used by one of the most common Social Security scams.

A host of negative reviews or a questionable lack of testimonials is a glaring red flag to watch out for when avoiding online shopping scams. People become extremely motivated to leave negative reviews after succumbing to online fraud, which means scammers can't keep a clean reputation for long. Unless you're the extremely unlucky first victim, most grifting sites will attract attention online, leading to disparaging testimonials. That is, unless the scam site decides to expunge all reviews. This is easy to do on their own sites, but much harder — although not impossible — to do on third-party review sites.

Whenever you visit a site, you should look for client feedback. Reputable sites are aboveboard when it comes to the experience of prior customers and actively want to share this information with prospective clients. On the other hand, shady business owners or outright frauds try to hide this information. If you can't find any reviews on a site, check Yelp, Google, TrustPilot, and other common third parties that aggregate testimonials from clients. For an extra level of protection, simply Googling the name of the website and the word "scam" can pinpoint news stories, blog posts, or even Reddit threads regarding people's experiences with the brand.

Regardless of the method of attack, scammers are after your personal information. According to Bank of America, phishing occurs when online thieves try to steal sensitive details from people to profit. At times, these fraudsters aggressively target online shoppers with pop-ups, time-sensitive language, or outright threats. Other times, they're more deceptive in their approach, preferring to manipulate victims into handing over otherwise protected info through indirect methods. Telling shoppers not to give away too much personal info is easier said than done, since providing certain details is fine in some circumstances and questionable in others.

Context is crucial. For example, providing your passport number and full legal name is perfectly normal when purchasing a flight, as these bits of information are needed to maintain federal compliance. However, these details would be unreasonable to provide when buying a T-shirt, potentially suggesting the website is fraudulent. Generally, the FTC recommends avoiding sites that ask for unusual details, such as your social security info, passport number, passwords and usernames, and other identifying information. When in doubt, ask yourself if the requested details are relevant to the purchase in any way. If the answer is no, don't provide them.

Trust signals refer to logos, signs, or other images that instantly imbue an associated brand with trust. These could be shields, ribbons, badges, or other pictures indicating some level of certification or officialness. These symbols are perfectly routine when in tandem with other trustworthy factors, but don't assume a site is secure when these are the only evidence. Some scammers attempt to hijack the authority and legitimacy that people automatically associate with these symbols to gain instant trust. 

In reality, any site can simply copy these icons from the internet, paste them on its site, and benefit from an unearned reputational boost. HubSpot reports that 98% of consumers would be more likely to buy a product in the presence of even a single trust signal, underscoring the impact of these icons. Whenever you see one of these trust signals, look around to see if it's backed up by an industry-specific award, official recognition, or some other formal acknowledgement. 

You might be tempted to say the average website has too many pop-ups. Recent studies have found these annoying marketing strategies are becoming more common on both desktop and mobile devices. However, many scamming websites have a noticeable step change in the number of pop-ups they use, clearly trying to guide you toward a certain action. This bombardment of pop-up windows serves two functions.

First and foremost, they're designed to overload and overwhelm site visitors, making them more likely to engage in impulse buying. Secondly, scammers use pop-ups to force users to inadvertently click on a spam link. One or two pop-ups here and there are perfectly normal, often to encourage users to join a mailing list or take advantage of a coupon. If you're on a site that's challenging to navigate because of the sheer number of pop-ups, proceed on these websites with caution.

Some scammers piggyback on the notoriety and trust of famous brands by mimicking their website designs and logos. Brand Shield notes that some of the most recognizable brands are targeted with fake sites, such as Old Navy or J. Crew.

The U.S. has pretty strong regulations against copyright infringement, but criminals aren't exactly known for following the law. Plus, foreigners aren't bound by the same regulations as domestic operators. When you stumble onto a new site, take a glance around at the branding. If you notice that something is slightly off, either in color, design, or other variables, you might be on a fake site. Googling the name of the brand you're searching for, instead of typing in a URL, can ensure you land on the right one. Search engines are good about only ranking official, reputable sites, while burying online shopping scams. 

Have you ever clicked away from a website, refusing to visit again after it took too long to load? Your frustration might have saved you from a potential scam. Website speed isn't just a measure of convenience or quality; it can also signal trustworthiness. Sites that take forever to load could mean the owners have no interest in paying to keep it running functionally, pointing to ulterior motives. Reputable companies have a vested interest in making their sites as user-friendly as possible to keep visitors engaged. The same can't be said about scam sites that are only interested in hooking customers long enough to steal their information or prompt a fraudulent deal, which doesn't have to take long.

Google looks at a website's load time when judging its trustworthiness, highlighting how crucial this seemingly irrelevant metric can be for detecting online shopping scams. According to OHO, the chances of a visitor leaving a website surges by 123% when the loading time jumps from one second to 10. Similarly, Browser Stack says that 40% of users exit from a site if pages take more than three seconds to fully load. Credible brands are well aware of the importance of fast-loading sites and are willing to invest to make it happen, while disreputable sites can take forever to show up because of poorly designed sites and a lack of proper security protocols.