How to Spot a Fake Online Store

By Greg Collier

Maria thought she’d found a steal at a clearance sale from a well-known craft chain offering everything at 80% off. The website looked perfect: identical logo, colors, and even a chat support icon. She submitted her card details, got a confirmation email, and waited.

Her order never arrived. Neither did her refund request. Weeks later, her bank flagged unusual charges all traced back to that “too good to be true” site.

Maria’s story isn’t rare. In 2025, fake e-commerce websites, sometimes called “e-shop scams,” are spiking across social media, search ads, and email promotions.​

What’s Going On:

Fraudsters set up lookalike retail websites and fake brand pages that mimic everything from Amazon storefronts to bankrupt retail chains like JOANN Fabrics.​

Once you enter payment info, three things usually happen:

  • Your money is taken, but no product ships.
  • Your personal and card data are harvested for identity theft.
  • Or your login credentials are stored for later breaches on other sites.

Many of these fraudulent stores are powered by AI website builders and image generators, making them nearly indistinguishable from authentic retailers.​

Why It’s Effective:

E-commerce fraud plays on two powerful triggers: scarcity and savings. Shoppers see dramatic “80% off” prices, countdown timers, and phrases like “final liquidation.” Combined with the rising cost of living, these emotional cues override caution.

Scammers exploit this environment, especially during major retailer closures or holiday rushes when consumers are primed for deals.

Red Flags:

When a deal looks real but feels rushed, slow down and check for these markers:

  • The URL has minor tweaks (extra hyphens, misspellings, or unusual domains like “.shop” or “.co”).
  • Product photos look overly polished or identical across unrelated sites.
  • No customer service contact beyond web forms or personal Gmail addresses.
  • Absence of secure payment methods (or demand for wire, Venmo, or gift cards).
  • Reviews seem copied or suspiciously generic.

Quick tip: Before buying, copy the site’s name + the word “scam” into Google. If others have been duped by the same store, you’ll see complaints fast.

What You Can Do:

  • Shop at the source only. Go directly to a brand’s official domain, not links from texts or social media ads.
  • Verify legitimacy. Use tools like Whois and ScamAdviser to check domain history.
  • Pay with credit, not debit. Credit cards provide better fraud dispute protection.
  • Use unique passwords. Don’t reuse login details across e-commerce sites.​
  • Watch your statements. Banks report that most fake shop victims don’t notice additional charges until weeks later.

If you’re running a small business, use your experience to write “buyer education” blurbs for your customers during peak sale seasons. It builds trust and protects your brand from lookalike fraud.

If You’ve Been Targeted:

If you ordered from a fake shop:

  • Contact your bank immediately. Ask to reverse unauthorized charges.
  • Report the website to the FTC and IC3.gov for investigation.
  • Monitor your credit report through agencies like Experian or TransUnion.
  • Change all reused passwords. Consider a password manager.
  • Warn others. Report the URL via community watch groups or browser phishing tools.

Cybercriminals are moving fast, faster than most shoppers can scroll. But slowing down before you click can stop them cold. Real stores rarely demand urgency; scams always do.

So next time a “90% off” ad pops up, pause. Search. Verify. Protect your hard-earned money.

Have you spotted one of these fake stores? Drop a comment or screenshot. Together, we can crowdsource warnings and save others from clicking “checkout” on a scam.

Further Reading:

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