What is online shopping fraud?

Online shopping fraud covers scams that aim to steal money or payment data during an internet transaction: fake stores, products that never arrive, cloned payment pages, and card data theft. It spikes during high-spending dates like Black Friday and Christmas.

Signs of a fraudulent store

Prices too good to be true, freshly created or misspelled domains, no HTTPS or real contact details, transfer-only payment methods, and fake reviews. Many fake stores promote themselves with social media ads that imitate well-known brands.

How to shop safely?

Check the site's reputation, verify HTTPS and the domain, prefer credit cards or gateways with buyer protection, distrust deals sent by direct message, and never enter card data in links received by email or SMS without verifying. When in doubt, reach the site by typing the URL manually.