How to spot a fake shopping website before you pay

Deal hunting means landing on stores you've never heard of. Most are legitimate. Some exist only to take your money or your card number. Here's a quick check to run before you hit "Place order."

Warning signs

• The price is far below every major retailer on a popular, in-demand item. Real clearance happens, but a new console at half price from an unknown site is a red flag.
• The domain is brand new or looks like a misspelling of a known brand. You can look up when a domain was registered with ICANN's free domain lookup tool. A store "established 1998" on a domain registered last month is a problem.
• Payment only by wire, Zelle, crypto or gift card. These are hard or impossible to reverse. Legitimate stores take credit cards.
• No real contact info. No physical address, no phone number, or only a web form.
• Copied content. Product photos and descriptions lifted from the brand's site, broken policy pages, and lots of spelling errors.
• Pressure tactics, like countdown timers that reset when you reload the page.

Two-minute check

1. Search the store name plus "scam" or "reviews," and read reviews on sites other than the store's own.
2. Run the domain through ICANN lookup to see its registration date.
3. Read the return policy. Does it name a real return address?
4. Pay by credit card so you keep your dispute rights.

If you already paid

Call your card issuer right away and dispute the charge. Change any password you reused on the site. Report the store to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.

The deals we post on WhyPayAlot's daily deals link to established retailers. If a deal looks too good to be true, ask in the deal forums before you buy.

Published October 25, 2026. Some links may be affiliate links; see our Affiliate Disclosure.