How to Tell If a Shopping Website Is Fake: 6 Checks From 8 Official Warning Pages

ByProf. H

On November 4, 2026, we read 8 official warning pages from the FTC, the Better Business Bureau, CISA, the FBI and 2 state attorneys general, and the checks they share fit in 6 steps: check the spelling of the web address, see how old it is, search the store name with the word “scam,” find a real phone number and address, read the return policy, and pay by credit card. We also looked up 7 big retailers’ web addresses the same day: all were first registered 28 to 32 years ago.

None of these steps needs special software. The one most guides skip, the age of the web address, is a free lookup anyone can run. A low price is the usual bait, so the moment a deal looks too good is the moment to run the checks.

What we checked on November 4, 2026

We read 8 consumer pages on the agencies’ own sites: 3 from the FTC, 1 from the BBB, 1 from CISA, 1 FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) alert, and 1 each from the New York and California attorneys general. We also read the FBI’s 2025 Internet Crime Report and the BBB’s 2025 Scam Tracker Risk Report, both PDFs.

Our own count: we ran 8 registration lookups in the .com registry (RDAP, the data ICANN Lookup shows) for 7 large retailers and for this site. We did not visit or test any scam website. AARP’s shopping-scam page and 2 FBI.gov pages blocked our reader, so we quote nothing from them.

Written and checked by Prof. H. An AI assistant helped draft this article and ran the page reads; every quote was read on the source’s own page on the date shown. This is a consumer guide from what the pages say, not legal or financial advice.

Table of 8 official consumer pages from the FTC, BBB, CISA, FBI IC3 and the New York and California attorneys general, with the date each shows and the check each one stresses
The 8 official pages we read on November 4, 2026, with the date each page shows. The right column is our one-line summary, not a quote. In our read, none of the 8 mentions stores built with AI.

How can you tell if a shopping website is fake?

Run 6 checks before you pay; each one below appears on at least one of the 8 official pages we read on November 4, 2026, and the FTC’s holiday alert of November 25, 2025 says scammers “run ads for brand-name products at unusually low prices.”

  1. Read the web address letter by letter. The BBB page says: “If you find a spelling error in the domain name, you’re not on the official site.” Better still, type the store’s address yourself instead of tapping an ad.
  2. See how old the address is. Use ICANN Lookup, explained in the next section. A store that opened last month deserves extra care.
  3. Search the store name with “scam” or “complaint.” The FTC’s Online Shopping page says to search “the product or company name, plus the words ‘complaint’ or ‘scam.’”
  4. Find a real address and phone number. The BBB says legitimate stores “should provide you with a physical address and working phone number.” Call the number.
  5. Read the return policy. The BBB says return and shipping policies “should be clear and easy to understand.”
  6. Pay by credit card. The FTC says it “best protects you and your money in case of a scam.” California’s attorney general says not to pay with “cash, money order, bitcoin, or wire transfers.”

Think of it like a new shop on Main Street. You would look at the sign, ask how long it has been there, ask the neighbors, check for a real counter and a phone, and keep your receipt. These 6 checks do the same online.

A hand holding a payment card up beside an open laptop, with the shopper blurred in the background
The last check happens at checkout: the FTC and California’s attorney general both point to a credit card, because the charge can be disputed. This is a staged stock photo, not a scam purchase. Photo: Shixart1985, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0, cropped and resized.

How do you check how old a website is?

Type the web address into ICANN Lookup at lookup.icann.org and read the “Created” date; when we ran the same registry lookup on November 4, 2026, amazon.com showed November 1, 1994 and target.com showed January 2, 1997.

  1. Go to lookup.icann.org. ICANN is the nonprofit that coordinates web addresses.
  2. Type only the main part of the address, such as storename.com, without www or anything after the slash.
  3. Press Lookup and find the line called Created.

Why does it matter? The FBI’s IC3 alert of August 3, 2020 described scam store sites whose web addresses “were registered recently (within the last six months).” The same alert says to check “the retailer’s domain registration information.” In our read, it was the only one of the 8 pages to mention address age.

Age is a clue, not a verdict. Our own site, profhlab.com, was registered on July 26, 2026, which made it 101 days old on November 4. We sell nothing, and plenty of honest small shops are new. A brand-new address plus a giant discount plus no phone number is the pattern to walk away from.

Table of registration dates for amazon.com, bestbuy.com, macys.com, walmart.com, target.com, costco.com and kohls.com, all 28 to 32 years old, and profhlab.com at 101 days
Our 8 lookups in the .com registry, run November 4, 2026. A registration date shows when the address was first claimed, not when a store opened. Look-alike addresses copying these brands would show much newer dates.

Does https or a padlock mean a website is safe?

No: the FTC’s Online Shopping page, read November 4, 2026, says the “s” after http means the site is encrypted, “but it doesn’t mean it’s a legitimate site.”

Encryption only means nobody can read what you type while it travels. A scammer can buy that protection too. CISA’s Shopping Safely Online page, released February 1, 2021, adds that “some attackers try to trick users by adding a fake padlock icon” to the page itself. A real padlock sits in your browser’s address bar, not inside the store’s page.

Google offers a free check at transparencyreport.google.com/safe-browsing/search. Its page says you can see “whether a website is currently dangerous to visit.” A clean result helps, but a store set up yesterday may not be flagged yet.

Why do fake stores show up in my Facebook and Instagram feed?

Because the ads work: an FTC press release of April 27, 2026 says “shopping scams were the most reported type of social media scam last year,” and that losses from scams that started on social media reached $2.1 billion in 2025.

The same release says more than 40% of people who lost money to a social media scam said they “ordered something” from it. On November 2, 2026, the FTC posted a new alert that begins: “Scammers impersonate well-known businesses or government agencies in ads.” The FBI’s 2020 alert also noted that the scam sites “were advertised on social media.”

What about AI? None of the 8 pages we read mentions it. Our inference, not a finding from those pages: tools that write product text and make product photos cheaply can make a copycat store look more polished, which is why the checks above look at the address, the age and the payment method rather than how nice the site looks. Our guide to spotting a fake Facebook ad covers the ad itself.

How much do people lose to fake online stores?

The FBI’s 2025 Internet Crime Report, read November 4, 2026, counts 56,478 complaints about non-payment or non-delivery, meaning people paid and never got the item, with $503,373,587 in reported losses.

For people 60 and over, the same report counts 9,743 non-payment or non-delivery complaints and $127,041,813 in losses. Across all scam types, it counts 201,266 complaints from people 60 and over and a $38,500 average loss.

The BBB’s 2025 Scam Tracker Risk Report says online purchase scams made up 28.4% of all scams published on its tracker, more than any other type. Its median loss for online purchase scams was $68. The typical loss is small; the totals add up because the scam is so common.

A crushed cardboard parcel with a red Fragile label sitting on a stone doorstep
Non-delivery, the FBI category behind 56,478 complaints in 2025, often ends with no box at all; a fake store may also ship something cheap or broken. This photo shows a damaged delivery, not a scam case. Photo: Meanwell Packaging, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0, resized.

What to do if you bought from a fake website

Call the number on the back of your card first: the FTC’s holiday alert of November 25, 2025 says that if you are “billed for something you never got,” you can dispute the charge with your card company.

  1. Call your card company or bank and say the charge is for an item you never received or a fake seller.
  2. Save the order email, the web address and screenshots of the store.
  3. Report it at ReportFraud.ftc.gov. The FTC says reports are shared with law enforcers but “we can’t resolve your individual report.”
  4. File with the FBI’s IC3 at ic3.gov, the FBI’s hub for online crime reports.
  5. If you paid by gift card, wire or payment app, contact that company right away; California’s attorney general warns those payments are hard to reverse.

Being fooled by a polished fake store is not a sign you were careless. These sites copy real brands on purpose. Telling a friend or a family member what happened can stop them from buying from the same site.

The rounded front of the Apex Building in Washington, D.C., the Federal Trade Commission headquarters, under a blue sky
The Apex Building in Washington, D.C., headquarters of the Federal Trade Commission, which runs ReportFraud.ftc.gov. Photographed in 2005. Photo: Carol M. Highsmith, Wikimedia Commons, public domain, resized.

A 2024 TODAY segment and a BBB walk-through, both older than the 2025 numbers

We picked 2 videos on November 4, 2026. Both were made before the 2025 reports above, so use the figures in this article over any numbers said on screen.

TODAY (5.12 million subscribers), How to know if an online retail site is reputable, published May 17, 2024, 5 minutes 31 seconds, 8,955 views when we checked on November 4, 2026.
Better Business Bureau Serving Central Florida (82 subscribers), Online Shopping Scams: Can You Tell A Fake Website From A Real One?, published November 27, 2024, 4 minutes 3 seconds, 211 views when we checked on November 4, 2026.

Your 6-step card for holiday shopping

  1. Spelling. Read the web address letter by letter, or type it yourself.
  2. Age. lookup.icann.org, line called Created.
  3. Reputation. Search the store name plus scam or complaint.
  4. Contact. A street address and a phone number that answers.
  5. Returns. A clear, readable return policy.
  6. Payment. Credit card only. No gift cards, wires, crypto or payment apps.

Print it or save a photo of it on your phone. If one check fails, close the tab and buy from a store you know.

More from Prof. H on scams, shopping and AI fakes

What else do shoppers ask about fake websites?

How to tell if a shopping website is legit?

Check that the web address is spelled right, look up its Created date at lookup.icann.org, search the store name plus scam, and find a real address, phone number and return policy. Then pay by credit card. We drew these 6 checks from 8 official pages read on November 4, 2026.

Does https mean a website is safe?

No. The FTC says the s after http means the connection is encrypted, not that the site is legitimate. CISA warns some attackers add a fake padlock icon to the page. Scam sites can have https too.

How to check how old a website is?

Go to lookup.icann.org, type the address such as storename.com, and read the Created line. On November 4, 2026 the .com registry showed amazon.com created November 1, 1994. The FBI said in 2020 that scam store addresses were often under six months old.

What to do if you bought from a fake website?

Call your card company and dispute the charge, save the order email and screenshots, and report the site at ReportFraud.ftc.gov and ic3.gov. The FTC says it cannot resolve individual reports, so the card dispute is what can get money back.

Can you get your money back from a fake website?

Your best chance is a credit card dispute. The FTC says you can dispute a charge for something you never got. Gift cards, wire transfers, crypto and payment apps are much harder to reverse, which is why official pages warn against them.

How common are fake online stores?

Common. The FBI counted 56,478 non-payment or non-delivery complaints in 2025 with $503,373,587 in losses. The BBB says online purchase scams were 28.4% of all scams published on its Scam Tracker in 2025, the largest share of any type.

Sources: FTC, BBB, CISA, FBI and state pages, registry lookups and 2 videos, read November 4

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