Fake shop red flags
The signs that give fake online shops away, grouped by where you meet them: the offer, the website, the company, the checkout, the adverts and what happens after you order.
Showing all 21 signs
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Everything is 60 to 90% off
Real shops discount some lines, rarely the whole range, and almost never the newest or sold-out items.
What to do: Compare the price with two shops you know. If nobody else comes close, assume the goods do not exist.
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Sold-out items are suddenly in stock
Fake shops target whatever is hard to find this season, because desperate buyers check less.
What to do: Check the maker's own site or official stockists before believing a stranger has stock.
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Countdown timers and 'only 2 left' everywhere
Pressure stops you checking. Many of these timers simply restart when the page reloads.
What to do: Reload the page and see whether the clock or the stock count resets. Then slow down.
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A 'closing down' sale from a shop you have never heard of
It explains away low prices and gives a reason why the shop will not be there for complaints later.
What to do: Search the shop's name with the word review and see how long it has really been trading.
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The address is close to a famous brand, but not quite
Extra words like outlet or sale, a swapped letter, or an unusual ending are how copycat shops borrow trust.
What to do: Type the brand's address yourself or use a search engine, instead of following the advert or message.
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The domain was registered only weeks ago
Scam shops are set up quickly and thrown away when complaints build. A big 'since 1998' badge means nothing if the domain is new.
What to do: Look up the domain's registration date before paying. Treat a very young domain selling famous brands with suspicion.
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Copied pages, placeholder text or another shop's name
Rushed fake sites reuse templates and forget to change the details.
What to do: Read the About, Terms and Returns pages. Wrong names, odd grammar in legal pages or 'Lorem ipsum' are giveaways.
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Relying on the padlock alone
The padlock means the connection is encrypted. Scam sites get certificates easily too, so it says nothing about honesty.
What to do: Treat https as the minimum, then do the other checks.
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No company name or address anywhere
Without them you cannot return goods, complain or take any action if something goes wrong.
What to do: Look in the footer, Terms and Imprint pages. If the shop will not say who it is, do not give it your money.
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Only a contact form or a free webmail address
Established shops usually have customer service at their own domain and often a phone line.
What to do: Send a question before you order and judge the reply: is it quick, specific and from a real person?
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Glowing reviews only on the shop's own pages
Reviews on the shop's own site can be invented, and badges for review services can be pasted in as pictures.
What to do: Look for reviews elsewhere, read the negative ones first, and click any review badge to see if it leads anywhere real.
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Bank transfer, crypto or gift cards only
These payments are very hard to reverse. A card payment can be disputed with your card issuer; a transfer usually cannot.
What to do: Do not pay. A genuine shop will take a card or a payment service with buyer protection.
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Card payment 'fails' and you are offered a transfer instead
A common trick to move you to an irreversible payment method after you have committed to the order.
What to do: Stop there. Do not retry with a transfer, and check your card statement for any test charges.
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Checkout jumps to an unrelated website
Card details typed into a page on an unknown address can be collected and used elsewhere.
What to do: Check the address bar at the payment step. If it is not the shop or a payment service you recognise, close the page.
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An extra discount for paying by transfer
Honest shops rarely reward you for giving up buyer protection.
What to do: Pay by card even if it costs a little more. The protection is worth more than the discount.
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You found it only through a social media advert
Adverts are cheap to run for a few days, and fake shops buy them in bursts before a holiday.
What to do: Search for the shop independently and check how long its social pages have existed.
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Comments switched off or full of 'where is my order?'
Complaints in the comments are the fastest warning you will get; hiding them is a warning in itself.
What to do: Read the comments under several adverts, not just one.
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Celebrity endorsement you cannot find anywhere else
Famous faces are pasted into fake adverts without permission.
What to do: Check the person's own channels. A real endorsement will be there.
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Tracking that never moves, or tracks a different parcel
Fake tracking numbers buy time until the window for disputing a card payment has passed.
What to do: Check the number on the carrier's own site. If nothing happens for a week, contact the shop in writing.
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A cheap substitute arrives, and returns go abroad at your cost
Sending something worthless lets the shop claim it delivered; expensive returns make you give up.
What to do: Photograph what arrived, keep the packaging, and dispute with your card issuer if the shop will not put it right.
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The site disappears or stops answering
Once the complaints pile up, fake shops shut down and reopen under a new name.
What to do: Contact your card issuer straight away; dispute windows are limited. Report the site to your national fraud or consumer body.
No signs match. Try another word or show everything.
Using the guide
Each sign is marked Serious or Warning. A serious sign is, on its own, a good reason not to pay. A warning is worth checking: honest shops sometimes have one or two, but several together tell a story. Filter by where you are in the purchase, or search for a word such as "transfer" or "tracking".
The most reliable clues are the ones a fake shop cannot easily change: how long its domain has existed, how it wants to be paid, and whether anyone outside the shop has heard of it. For a scored verdict on a particular shop, answer the questions in the shop safety checklist.
If you have already paid and something feels wrong, act quickly: the chargeback timeline shows how long you have to dispute a card payment, and the refund request letter puts your request to the shop in writing.
Questions
What is the single strongest warning sign?
Being pushed to pay by bank transfer, crypto or gift cards. Those payments are very hard to reverse, which is exactly why fake shops prefer them.
Is a shop safe if it has the padlock?
No. The padlock means the connection is encrypted, and fake shops get certificates as easily as real ones.
Where should I report a fake shop?
To your national fraud or consumer reporting service, and to the platform that showed you the advert. Tell your card issuer too if you paid.