Black Friday and other major sales events give fraudulent retailers an ideal cover: shoppers expect unfamiliar sellers, dramatic discounts and messages about multiple deliveries. A polished website can still be designed solely to collect payments, card details or account credentials.
The browser padlock only shows that information sent to a website is encrypted. It does not establish who operates the shop or whether an offer is genuine. Before paying, verify the seller, inspect the exact domain, compare prices elsewhere and choose a payment method that offers a realistic route to dispute the transaction.
Why HTTPS is not proof that a shop is legitimate
HTTPS protects data while it travels between your device and the website. That is important, but scammers can also obtain encryption certificates for fraudulent domains. The US Federal Trade Commission explicitly warns that an encrypted website is not necessarily legitimate. ([consumer.ftc.gov](https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/online-shopping?utm_source=openai))
Treat HTTPS as a minimum technical requirement, not a trust badge. You still need to establish who will receive your money and whether the business can be contacted if the order never arrives.
Check the seller before checking out
A convincing design, professional product photographs and familiar payment logos can all be copied. Look beyond the storefront and check the business itself.
Confirm the company’s identity
Find the seller’s legal or trading name, physical address, working contact details and returns policy. Depending on the country, you may also see a company, tax or business-registration number.
Search for the business independently rather than trusting links or testimonials on its own website. If a registration number is provided, compare the company name and address with the relevant official business register. Fraudulent shops sometimes copy details belonging to an unrelated legitimate company.
Be cautious if the seller provides only a contact form, uses a free email address, gives no return address or makes it difficult to determine which country it operates from. Consumer authorities recommend establishing whether the retailer is domestic or overseas because this can affect delivery, returns and dispute options. ([fdacs.gov](https://www.fdacs.gov/Consumer-Resources/Scams-and-Fraud/Online-Shopping-Scams?utm_source=openai))
Inspect the complete web address
Fraudulent domains may differ from a genuine retailer’s address by one letter, an added word or a misplaced hyphen. These differences are particularly easy to miss on a phone, where the full address may not be visible.
Do not assume that a country-code domain means the seller is based in that country. Likewise, fluent English, local prices and familiar branding do not prove that the operator is local.
If you arrived through a social media advert, search for the retailer separately and compare the address with its verified profile or established website. Do not rely on the advert’s name, logo or photographs.
Compare the price and total cost
An unusually low price is more concerning when combined with a countdown, a claim that only one item remains or pressure to pay immediately. Urgency and unusual payment requests are established scam warning signs. ([consumerfinance.gov](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/ask-cfpb/what-are-some-classic-warning-signs-of-possible-fraud-and-scams-en-2094/?utm_source=openai))
Check the product’s normal price at several established retailers. Also review shipping charges, taxes, import fees, subscription terms and the promised dispatch date. A headline discount may disappear once the full cost is shown.
Do not rely on ratings alone
Search for reviews and complaints outside the seller’s website, but examine them critically. Star ratings can be manipulated, and clusters of repetitive or unusually enthusiastic reviews may be misleading. The FTC advises shoppers not to rely on ratings alone. ([consumer.ftc.gov](https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/online-shopping?utm_source=openai))
Search the shop’s name together with words such as “scam”, “complaint”, “refund” or “not delivered”. Check dates carefully: a domain or social media page with almost no history deserves additional scrutiny.
Choose a payment method with meaningful protection
Payment protections vary by country, card issuer and transaction type. In general, a credit card or established payment service may provide a dispute process if goods are not delivered or the transaction is fraudulent. Contact the provider promptly because deadlines can apply. ([consumer.ftc.gov](https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/online-shopping?utm_source=openai))
Avoid sellers that insist on payment by gift card, cryptocurrency, wire transfer or another difficult-to-reverse method. Requests for unusual payment methods are a common fraud indicator, especially when the seller refuses safer alternatives. ([consumerfinance.gov](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/ask-cfpb/what-are-some-classic-warning-signs-of-possible-fraud-and-scams-en-2094/?utm_source=openai))
Before buying, consider:
- Using guest checkout if you do not need a permanent account.
- Declining to store your card details on an unfamiliar website.
- Enabling transaction notifications through your bank or card provider.
- Using a unique password and multi-factor authentication for shopping and payment accounts.
- Saving the product page, order confirmation, seller details and stated delivery date.
Treat delivery texts as a separate threat
Shopping periods also produce a surge in genuine parcel notifications, making fake delivery messages easier to believe. A typical scam claims that an address must be corrected or a small fee paid before a parcel can be released.
Do not open the link in an unexpected message. Instead, open the courier’s official app or type its known website address into your browser, then enter the tracking number there. Cybersecurity authorities recommend avoiding links and contact details supplied in suspicious messages. ([cisa.gov](https://www.cisa.gov/sites/default/files/2024-11/Secure-Our-World-Shop-Safely-Holiday-Season-Tip-Sheet.pdf?utm_source=openai))
Never provide a card number, banking password, one-time security code or account PIN in response to an unsolicited delivery message. Do not install an app offered through a text or email.
What to do if you have already paid or shared information
Act immediately rather than waiting for an unauthorised transaction to appear.
- Contact your bank or payment provider. Use the number on your card, official banking app or independently opened website—not contact information from the suspicious message. Explain exactly what you entered or approved.
- Lock or cancel the affected card. Ask whether pending transactions can be stopped and whether a payment dispute or chargeback is available.
- Secure exposed accounts. Change compromised passwords from a trusted device. If a password was reused, change it everywhere else and enable multi-factor authentication.
- Check recent activity. Review bank, card and payment-service transactions, including small unfamiliar charges that may be used to test stolen details.
- Preserve evidence. Keep the website address, advert, messages, screenshots, order confirmation, payment receipt and all correspondence with the seller.
- Report the incident. Notify the relevant national fraud-reporting service, consumer-protection authority or police. If the seller is overseas, your country may provide a cross-border complaint route. US consumers, for example, can report scams to the FTC, while complaints involving foreign sellers can be directed to Econsumer.gov. ([usa.gov](https://www.usa.gov/online-purchase-complaints?utm_source=openai))
If you downloaded an application or file from the fraudulent site, disconnect the affected device from sensitive accounts, run its security checks and seek qualified technical support if you notice unexpected prompts, new apps or unusual behaviour.
A quick check before every purchase
Before pressing the payment button, ask five questions:
- Am I on the exact website I intended to visit?
- Can I identify and independently verify the seller?
- Is the price believable when compared with other retailers?
- Are delivery, returns and total costs explained clearly?
- Does the payment method give me a reasonable way to challenge the transaction?
If several answers are unclear, leave the site. A discount is not worth risking your card details, account access and personal information.
Sources
- https://www.fdic.gov/consumer-resource-center/avoid-scams-while-shopping-online-bargains
- https://www2.helpwithmybank.gov/help-topics/fraud-scams/scams/internet-scams/phishing-avoid.html
- Online Shopping Scams | Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services — https://www.fdacs.gov/Consumer-Resources/Scams-and-Fraud/Online-Shopping-Scams
- Secure Our World: Shop Safely This Holiday Season | CISA — https://www.cisa.gov/sites/default/files/2024-11/Secure-Our-World-Shop-Safely-Holiday-Season-Tip-Sheet.pdf
- Where to file a complaint about an online purchase | USAGov — https://www.usa.gov/online-purchase-complaints
- https://consumer.georgia.gov/order-confirmation-and-fraudulent-transaction-scams
- https://www.occ.treas.gov/topics/consumers-and-communities/consumer-protection/fraud-resources/online-and-digital-scams.html
- Online Shopping | Federal Trade Commission Consumer Advice — https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/online-shopping
- https://occ.gov/topics/consumers-and-communities/consumer-protection/fraud-resources/online-and-digital-scams.html
- What are some classic warning signs of possible fraud and scams? | Consumer Financial Protection Bureau — https://www.consumerfinance.gov/ask-cfpb/what-are-some-classic-warning-signs-of-possible-fraud-and-scams-en-2094/
- https://www.consumerfinance.gov/ask-cfpb/i-received-an-email-from-my-bank-or-credit-union-asking-me-to-verify-my-account-information-what-should-i-do-en-999/
- https://www.occ.gov/topics/consumers-and-communities/consumer-protection/fraud-resources/phishing-attack-prevention.html
- https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/how-recognize-avoid-phishing-scams
- https://home.treasury.gov/system/files/136/2024-CYBER-CRIME-Advisory-Report.pdf
- https://portal.ct.gov/dcp/-/media/dcp/newsletter/2025/november-2025/november2025_newsletter.pdf?rev=252b8984161743b1ae40e69faaaf33de
- Bargain hunters urged to stay alert to cyber scams ahead of holiday shopping season | UK National Cyber Security Centre — https://www.ncsc.gov.uk/sites/default/files/2026-03/Bargain-hunters-urged-to-stay-alert-to-cyber-scams-ahead-of-holiday-shopping-season.pdf
- https://www.jec.senate.gov/public/_cache/files/4a201978-7f57-4f50-9019-afc07bae032c/black-friday-report.pdf
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phishing
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_fraud_prevention
- Online Shopping | Consumer Advice — https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/online-shopping?utm_source=openai
Marcel Macko
I’m most interested in technology, the internet, bizarre news, and stories that make you stop and think, “There’s no way this can actually be true.” I follow what’s happening both at home and around the world and pick the topics I think are worth paying attention to. On Pitchoviny, I try to present them simply, factually, and without unnecessarily sensational headlines.
