Fraudulent e-commerce sites and marketplace listings that take payment without delivering products or deliver counterfeit goods.
Online shopping scams exploit the convenience and anonymity of e-commerce to defraud consumers through fake online stores, non-delivery schemes, and counterfeit product sales. These scams range from sophisticated replica websites that perfectly mimic legitimate retailers, to social media marketplace listings for products that never existed, to online stores that deliver cheap counterfeits instead of the branded goods advertised.
The growth of online shopping has created enormous opportunities for scammers. Fake stores can be set up in hours using readily available e-commerce templates, and they often appear in search engine results and social media advertisements alongside legitimate retailers. These sites accept payment through methods that offer little buyer protection, and once payment is received, the scammer either disappears entirely or ships a worthless counterfeit that costs more to return than it's worth.
Social media has become a major vector for online shopping scams, with fraudsters using targeted advertisements on platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok to promote non-existent products at irresistible prices. These ads often feature stolen images and fake reviews, creating a convincing illusion of a legitimate business. The transient nature of social media makes these scams difficult to track, and scammers regularly create new accounts and websites once their current ones are reported.
Scammers advertise products at prices significantly below market value — designer goods, electronics, or popular items at discounts of 50-80%. These deals appear in social media ads, search results, and even on legitimate marketplace platforms.
The product listing links to a professional-looking online store with stolen branding, fabricated product photos, and fake customer reviews. The site may closely replicate a well-known retailer's design, complete with trust badges and security icons.
Victims place orders and provide payment information. The site may accept credit cards to appear legitimate, but often pushes payment methods with less buyer protection like wire transfers, cryptocurrency, or peer-to-peer payment apps.
After payment, one of several outcomes occurs: the product never arrives, a cheap counterfeit is shipped instead, or tracking information is provided for a package delivered to a different address. Attempts to contact the seller or request refunds are ignored.
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