Holiday shopping: watch out for fake shops
With shops closed, everyone is buying online, and fake stores are everywhere. How to check before you pay.
This year almost all holiday shopping is online, and scammers have built fake shops to match: copied designs, prices that look like a great deal, and ads on social media. You pay, and nothing arrives, or your card gets used elsewhere.
Before buying from a shop you don’t know:
- Search the shop’s name plus “scam” or “reviews”.
- Check the domain age and contact details. A site registered last month with no real address is a warning.
- Prices far below everyone else are the bait.
- Pay by card or a payment service with buyer protection, never by bank transfer or gift cards.
- Type the address of big shops yourself instead of clicking ads.
And watch for “delivery problem” texts after you order. They’re the second half of the same season.