Guide · Updated 2026-10-19 · By The PayOrScam team
Is this online seller a scam? How to check before you buy
Shopping scams were the most-reported scam on social media in FTC data, and the FTC warns that ads offering brand-name products at huge discounts often lead to fake sites that send a cheap fake or nothing at all. Whether it's a web shop, a marketplace seller or an Instagram ad, run these checks before you pay.
Work out who the seller really is. The FTC says don't assume the seller is the brand named in the ad. Look for the business name, address and contact details; big marketplaces must show contact information for many high-volume third-party sellers under the INFORM Consumers Act.
Search the seller's name and web address with "review", "complaint" or "scam", and read what other buyers say on independent sites.
Compare the price with established retailers. If it's far lower, the FTC says it's probably a scam.
Check the website's age and spelling. A shop on a domain registered a few weeks ago, or one letter away from a famous brand, is a warning sign.
Read the terms of sale: total price, shipping time, refund policy, who pays for returns and any restocking fee.
Remember that https isn't proof. The padlock means the connection is encrypted, not that the seller is honest; the FTC notes scammers encrypt sites too.
Pay by credit card. It gives you the right to dispute the charge if nothing arrives. Never pay a seller who insists on gift cards, wire transfers, payment apps or cryptocurrency; the FTC says only scammers demand that.
Keep records of the seller, the order, the price and every message, so you can dispute or report if something goes wrong.
If something has gone wrong, contact the seller first, then your card company to dispute the charge, and report it (US: ReportFraud.ftc.gov; UK: Action Fraud).
Paste the shop's link or the seller's name into PayOrScam to check the domain age, lookalike spelling, safe-browsing and phishing lists, reviews and copied product photos, with a source for each finding.