Report an
online shopping scam.
Fake online stores pop up faster than they can be taken down. They advertise on Instagram and Facebook with prices that seem too good to be true — because they are. You place an order, the money disappears, and the product either never arrives or turns out to be a cheap knockoff of what was advertised. Reporting the website, store name, and ad source here feeds a public database that helps other shoppers check before they buy.
Quick shopping scam report
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The fake online store epidemic
Online shopping scams are the most frequently reported fraud type in the country. The FTC logged more complaints about fake stores and non-delivery than any other category in 2023, with losses totaling $392 million. The individual amounts are often small — $50, $100, $200 — but the sheer volume makes this a massive problem. And for many victims, especially those who paid with debit cards or payment apps, even $100 is hard to recover.
The scam infrastructure is industrialized. Fraudsters use templates to spin up hundreds of fake storefronts in a single day, each with a different domain name and branding but the same backend. They run paid ads on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok targeting people who've recently searched for specific products. The ads feature stolen product photos and prices that are just low enough to be tempting without triggering immediate suspicion. Once a store accumulates enough complaints, it disappears — and a new one takes its place by the next morning.
Three types of shopping scams
Non-delivery: You pay, the order confirmation looks real, but nothing ever ships. The tracking number (if provided) is either fake or belongs to someone else's package.Bait-and-switch: You order a designer handbag and receive a $3 knockoff from overseas. The product vaguely resembles what was advertised but is clearly not the same quality.Information harvesting: The store isn't even trying to sell products — it exists to collect credit card numbers, addresses, and phone numbers for identity theft or resale on dark web marketplaces.
Getting your money back
If you paid with a credit card, file a chargeback with your card issuer — you have strong protections under the Fair Credit Billing Act. For debit cards, the protections are weaker but still exist if you act within 60 days. PayPal Purchase Protection covers many non-delivery cases. For Zelle, Venmo, or Cash App payments, recovery is much harder because these services treat transactions as voluntary. In all cases, file a report here and with the FTC — the documentation strengthens your case with your bank.
Where else to report online shopping scams
Report to multiple places to maximize your chances of getting money back:
- →Your credit card company — File a chargeback — this is the fastest path to recovery
- →FTC — reportfraud.ftc.gov — the federal consumer protection database
- →BBB Scam Tracker — bbb.org/scamtracker — public scam database
- →The social media platform — Report the ad on Facebook, Instagram, or TikTok
Related scam types
Scammers often combine tactics. If this looks familiar, check these too: