Deal or No Deal? Online Shopping Scams
You find a massive mark down on a product you’ve had your eye on for months, but it’s on a site you've never heard of. The photos look right, the checkout process feels normal, and the confirmation email lands in your inbox within seconds. Weeks later, the product never arrives, the website is gone, and the credit card number you entered may now be in the hands of a fraudster.
Shopping scams aren't new, but the rapidly growing number of online transactions has given fraudsters more surface area to work with. The good news is that many of these scams follow recognizable patterns, and once you know what to look for, they're much easier to spot before you hand over your money.
Fake Package Notifications
You get a text that says, "Your package could not be delivered. Click here to reschedule." Or you receive an email that looks like it's from a major shipping carrier asking you to "confirm your delivery address" through a link.
These messages are designed to reach your inbox at a time when you might actually be expecting a package. The link usually leads to a phishing site that asks for personal information, login credentials, or payment details, often disguised as a small "redelivery fee." As a best practice, if you're expecting a package and get a notification that seems off, do not use the link in the message. Go directly to the retailer's or carrier's website or app to check your tracking information.
A similar tactic scammers may use involves a fake subscription confirmation disguised as package notifications. For example, it might read, "Your subscription has been confirmed. Click here to cancel if this wasn't you." The goal is the same, to get you to click a link and hand over your information.
Storefronts That Don't Exist
Fake retail websites are one of the most common shopping scams. A fraudulent site might have professional product photos, a clean layout, and a working shopping cart. What it may not have is any real intention of shipping what you ordered if at all. All of that likely means the site exists to collect your payment information, deliver counterfeit goods, or simply take your money and disappear.
There are a few things worth checking before you buy from an unfamiliar site. Search the site's name along with words like "scam" or "reviews" and see what comes up. Check whether the site lists a physical address and working contact information. A generic contact form with no phone number or address is not proof of a scam, but it should make you pause. And always pay attention to pricing. If everything on the site is 60 to 80 percent below what you'd pay anywhere else, that is usually not a normal clearance sale, it's often the bait.
None of these methods are foolproof on their own, but stacking them together gives you a much clearer picture of whether you're dealing with a real business.
Failed Marketplace Deals
Peer-to-peer platforms allow individuals to list items for sale locally or nationally. These sites have their own set of risks for customers. The platform itself may be legitimate, but the person on the other end of the transaction may not be.
Some of the most common patterns are easy to recognize once you know them. A seller insists on payment before you've seen the item in person. Someone sends you a "verification" link that supposedly confirms you're a real buyer, but actually collects your login credentials or personal information. Or the item in the listing photos isn't the one that shows up. These tactics rely on urgency and trust manipulation. The seller pressures you to act fast because "other people are interested."
For in-person transactions, a few practical habits can help. Meet in a public, well-lit location and bring someone with you when possible. Use cash or a payment method you understand well and can verify. And if anything about the interaction feels off, like changing meeting locations or being pressured to complete the deal immediately, trust that hesitation and walk away.
Protected Payment Methods
Not all payment methods offer the same level of protection if something goes wrong, and how you pay matters as much as where you shop. Credit cards generally offer stronger consumer protections for online purchases than most other payment methods because you might have the opportunity to dispute charges, though timelines and procedures still matter.
Debit cards can be riskier for online shopping as the money may leave your checking account right away, and resolving the problem can take time. Many financial institutions do offer fraud protections on debit transactions, like Zero Liability Protection on our First Harvest Mastercard® Debit Cards, but the process may feel slower and more disruptive than disputing a credit card charge. Wire transfers, cryptocurrency, and gift cards are among the most difficult payment methods to recover once the funds are sent, which scammers rely on. If a seller asks you to pay with gift cards, that is one of the clearest warning signs you can get.
Payment apps can also create problems when used with strangers. Some offer limited protections while others treat the transfer more like sending cash to someone you already know. Before using one for a purchase, it helps to understand whether the service treats it as a protected purchase or a person-to-person payment that may be difficult to reverse.
At First Harvest, we take protecting your information seriously. Be sure your contact information with us is up to date so we can properly contact you with Fraud Alert communications. Enrolling into Online Banking and checking your accounts in our Mobile App can help you stay alert to any transactions that might occur without your authorization. Additionally, members should continue to opt-in to First Harvest communications to help stay informed about important account notices.
The Takeaway
You don’t need to be suspicious of every online purchase. But checking unfamiliar sites before you buy, using a more protective payment method when dealing with unknown sellers, and pausing before you click links in unexpected delivery notifications can help you avoid many of these scams before they cost you anything.
