Online shopping scams: fake stores, social media ads and orders that never arrive

In 2024 the FTC received 383,441 reports about online shopping, with 76% reporting a loss: $432M in total, median $130 (FTC Consumer Sentinel Data Book 2024). The losses are usually small, which is why many people never report them. The FBI separately logged 56,478 non-payment and non-delivery complaints in 2025, with $503,373,587 lost (2025 IC3 Annual Report).

Social media is a major entry point. People reported more than $95 million lost in 2025 to scams that started when they ordered something after seeing an ad on social media, and the FTC notes that platforms do not always vet ads or advertisers thoroughly (FTC, August 2026).

• Fake stores. A polished site with big discounts that takes your card and ships nothing, or a cheap knockoff. Many live for a few weeks, then reappear under a new name.
• Scam ads impersonating brands. An ad that uses a real company’s logo and photos, linking to a lookalike site.
• Marketplace sellers who want payment off-platform. A seller on Facebook Marketplace or a similar site asks you to pay by Zelle, Cash App, gift card or crypto, or to pay a “deposit” for an item you have not seen. The FTC’s rental and pet scam warnings follow the same pattern.
• Overpayment scams on sellers. If you are selling, a buyer sends too much by check or a fake payment notice and asks for the difference back. See the fake check section of job scams.
• Fake delivery problems. A text about a missed package that leads to a site asking for a small “redelivery fee” and your card details. See text message scams.

1. Search the name plus “scam”, “review” or “complaint”, as the FTC suggests. No results at all for a store with huge discounts is itself a warning.
2. Type the brand’s address yourself rather than tapping the ad, and see whether the deal is on the real site.
3. Look for a real way to reach them: a physical address, a working phone number, a returns policy that names a country you could ship to.
4. Be wary of prices far below everyone else, “closing down” sales from brands that are not closing, and countdown timers.
5. Check the payment options. A store that only takes wire transfer, Zelle, crypto or gift cards is not one to buy from.

A padlock in the address bar only means the connection is encrypted. Scam sites have them too.

Under the Fair Credit Billing Act, you can dispute a credit card charge for goods that were not delivered as agreed, as well as unauthorized charges and billing mistakes. The FTC explains the rules in Using Credit Cards and Disputing Charges:

• Send the dispute within 60 days after the first statement with the charge was sent to you.
• Write to the issuer’s billing inquiries address (not the payments address), with your name, account number and what went wrong. Keep copies; certified mail gives you proof.
• The issuer must acknowledge within 30 days and resolve the dispute within 90 days.
• You can withhold the disputed amount while it investigates, but pay the rest.
• Your liability for unauthorized credit card use is capped at $50.

Most issuers also let you start a dispute online or by phone; do that first if it is faster, but the written dispute is what preserves your legal rights. Debit cards, bank transfers and payment apps do not give the same protection for goods that never arrive.

1. Contact the seller once, in writing, and keep the reply (or the lack of one).
2. Dispute the charge with your card issuer, or ask your bank or payment app to reverse the payment.
3. If you entered card details on a fake site, ask the issuer to cancel the card and send a new number. If you made an account with a password you use elsewhere, change it.
4. Report the store at ReportFraud.ftc.gov and IC3.gov, and report the ad to the social media platform.

The full list of first calls by payment method is in what to do if you sent money to a scammer. Wondering about a specific marketplace app? See is Temu safe. More in the scams hub.