Online stores are convenient. They allow you to browse products, compare prices, and place your orders with a few clicks from the comfort of your home. However, they carry risks due to the growing number of fake online stores. In recent years, e-commerce stores have become a channel for online shopping scams. Some of the fake stores look convincing and legitimate, offering you tempting deals only for the scammers to disappear after you place your order or for you to receive counterfeit products. Others use the store as an avenue to steal credit card information. This guide explains how to know if a website is legit and highlights the most common red flags of fake shopping websites. Key Insights 2026 scam trends indicate that e-commerce scams will be on the rise as scammers exploit weak seller verification and adopt more sophisticated tactics to lure customers. Fake e-commerce websites commonly use tactics such as heavy discounts, mimicking legitimate websites’ design, URLs, and branding, fake positive reviews, and many more to attract customers. Typical red flags to look out for include unsecured websites, typos in URLS and website content, prices that are too good to be true, lack of customer support, poor website design, among others. A Quick Checklist of Scam Website Red Flags If you're in a rush or want a quick reminder while browsing an online store, keep this checklist in mind: Check for a secure website: Look for HTTPS and the padlock icon in the URL. Look for typos in the URL: Ensure there are no strange misspellings or domain changes. Be cautious of extreme discounts: Too good to be true? Compare prices and verify offers. Evaluate website design: Check for broken links, poor-quality images, and inconsistent branding. Check reviews across platforms: Multiple negative reviews often indicate a scam. Verify payment methods: Stick to trusted payment options like credit cards and PayPal. Look for contact info: Verify the availability of proper customer support details. Review store policies: Ensure the store has clear return, refund, and cancellation policies. Detaled Guide on Common Signs of a Fake Online Store Below are the top 8 common warning signs of a scam online scam store. Unsecured website The simplest way to tell if a website is secure is to check the URL. Typically, secure websites use the HTTPS protocol rather than HTTP. There should also be a padlock icon just before the URL. If a website’s URL is secure, it indicates that data is encrypted when sent between the browser and the website. That said, a secure website does not guarantee that an e-commerce store is legitimate. Some scammers go the extra mile to create fake websites that look real by ensuring that these security protocols are in place. Therefore, you must conduct further due diligence on the website, beyond checking its security, to avoid falling victim to online shopping fraud. Report a Scam Typos in the URL Some fake e-commerce websites mimic real, trusted brands. They copy the legitimate store’s logos, brand colors, images, and use high-quality product images. In some cases, they also include fake product or business reviews and testimonials. All these create a sense of credibility to the customers. However, on closer inspection, you may notice a typo or minor alterations in the URL. These small changes can be easy to overlook but are key indicators of a scam. For example, here are a few altered versions of our own website name that could signal a fake site: pissedc0nsumer.com pissedconsuner.com p1ssedconsumer.com Others use unusual domain names. For example, www.target.deals.net instead of www.target.com. A reviewer reported such an incident in a recent PissedConsumer review. The reviewer wrote to the Bonchon corporate team, notifying them of a fraud incident involving a website that mimicked the official Bonchon online ordering platform. The fraud incident resulted in the wife losing over $10,000 through an unverified wire transfer. Further, beware of unsolicited messages and emails with discounts from a supposed online store. These messages often contain links from fake e-commerce stores and are used for phishing scams. Use the Google Safe Browsing site status feature to check if the website is legitimate. If you want to access a specific website, enter its URL manually in your browser. Prices that are too good to be true According to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC),scammers often use heavy discounts to attract customers and encourage quick sales. A fake shopping website may offer up to 90% off on high-demand products. They also commonly display discount timers or “limited stock” banners to create a sense of urgency. These tactics cause buyers to bypass an important step to check if a website is legit. To avoid falling for these online store scams, be cautious of extreme discounts. Take time to compare prices across multiple reputable retailers, and avoid rushing to make a purchase. Poor website design While some scam online stores look professional and polished, many others are poorly designed. You may notice spelling and grammar mistakes, blurry images, buttons that do not work, broken links, inconsistent brand colors, missing pages, and slow loading speeds, among other issues. Therefore, when visiting an online store, take time to browse beyond the home page. Check for other pages and try opening them. Test links and buttons within the pages. Check for consistency in branding and content. Be cautious if the website looks cheap and unfinished. Numerous negative reviews and low ratings Before placing an order, check previous customers’ experiences with the online store. On your browser, search for “name of the online store + reviews”. Read the reviews and look at ratings across multiple review platforms such as PissedСonsumer.com, Reddit, and BBB, among others, to get a well-rounded view of the store. Fake online stores often have low ratings and receive many negative reviews. Look out for recurring complaints about non-existent or poor customer support, vague policies, overcharging, counterfeit or low-quality products, and hidden charges. Also, take note of failed deliveries and delivery scam messages. Keep in mind that some fake stores write fake positive reviews. So, look out for overly positive, AI-generated, and generic positive reviews. Limited payment methods Legitimate online stores offer multiple secure payment methods, including credit cards, debit cards, and trusted digital wallets such as PayPal, Google Pay, and Apple Pay. On the other hand, fake online stores insist on payment methods such as wire transfers, bank transfers, gift cards, and cryptocurrency. These payment methods do not offer fraud protection or chargeback options. No contact information When checking if a website is legit, one thing to look out for is a “Contact Us” page. Legitimate websites have a designated contact us page that provides multiple ways to get in touch with their customer support. If a website does not have a contact us page, it is a red flag. Also, watch out for generic email addresses and fake or unverifiable physical addresses. However, even if the website provides contact details, it does not guarantee that it is legit. Some fake online stores have responsive customer support initially, but it becomes difficult to reach after you make a purchase. Therefore, check online reviews about customer service to help assess the store's legitimacy. Missing or vague policies and terms of use Another strong indicator of a fake online website is missing or unclear policies. The website may not include information on cancellations, returns, and refunds at all, or the information provided may be brief, generic, or vague. Fake online websites also commonly lack a “Terms of Use” page. Therefore, there are no clearly stipulated terms and conditions for engaging with the business, which puts you at risk as a shopper. How to Avoid Fake Online Stores Avoid opening unsolicited links. Check the URL to see if the website is secure, and use online scanning tools to establish if a website is legit. Review the website for design quality, branding, and messaging consistency, and assess whether essential pages, such as the contact us page and policies page, provide clear information. While some fake online stores are easy to identify, others require thorough investigation. However, if an online store depicts even one of these red flags, it is important to be cautious and investigate further. Report a Scam