Last Updated on Dec 20, 2023

Watch Out for Shopping Scam!

Now that we’re past the busiest shopping season of the year, you’d be forgiven for thinking that the scammers may slow down on the number of fake shopping websites (shopping scams) they’re creating. But it sure doesn’t seem that way because we’ve detected lots of sites over the last week or so that have got tons of visitors — and most likely tricked a fair few of them into parting with their money and inadvertently sharing their personal data.

Fake Shopping Websites List 2023

Here are the most popular fake shopping sites we’ve recently detected in 2023 – A list of scamming websites:

hoka-usaclearance[.]com

Emmarelief[.]com (review)

Topmainelobster[.]com (review)

Balsam Hill 2023 scams (review and full list)

Big-shiny-balls[.]com

Allureusports[.]com (review)

Morrity[.]com

ShoePublic[.]com

PiloSaleLtd[.]com

Omitages[.]com

Hardaddy[.]com

MyFaceBoxer[.]com

MichaelKors-Handbags[.]com

TiffanyCoShop[.]com

Moziep[.]store

Halaboommall[.]com

Warmthside[.]com

Outdoorbest[.]store

Branddealmall[.]com

Patever[.]store

Ackbitshop[.]com

Oceanmild[.]com

Planterbeds[.]com

Stanley1915[.]com (review)

Keeprake[.]com

Sheingivesback[.]com (review)

Arcade1up-clearance[.]com

heydudestores[.]com

Brooks-outlet[.]com/brookoutletstores[.]com (review)

Bedbathclosing[.]com

Bedbathsales[.]com

Universitycask[.]com

How to Detect Scam Sites

Scam sites such as the ones above are getting harder and harder to tell apart from legitimate sites. However, there are often still some telltale signs that they’re not to be trusted:

Note: Most sites won’t exhibit all these signs.

• Too-good-to-be-true deals and massive discounts available on almost all products.
• An unusual/nonsensical URL — MyFaceBoxer[.]com and PiloSaleLtd[.]com, for example.
• Lots of 5-star (but irrelevant) customer reviews.
• The acceptance of only non-common payment methods (wire transfer/cryptocurrency etc.).
• A countdown timer on the checkout page.
• Unreasonable requests for detailed personal information.
• Typos and questionable wordings.
• A lack of valid contact details.
• A low trustscore on ScamAdviser.

It goes without saying, but you’ll want to stay well clear of scam shopping sites. You’re almost guaranteed to not receive any items you purchase and any information you enter onto them — personal and financial information alike — will fall straight into the hands of the scammers.

How to Protect Yourself from Scam Sites 

The truth is, there are lots of scams and scam sites on the internet and they’re getting even more difficult to detect with common sense alone. However, for an easy and reliable method of detecting and avoiding scam sites, check out Trend Micro ID Protection, which offers both free and paid services — with the latter available as a 30-day free trial.
 
 ID Protection can shield you from scams, fake and malware-infected websites, dangerous emails, phishing links, and lots more! If you come across something dangerous online, you’ll be alerted in real time so you’ll know to stay well clear.  

If you’ve found this article an interesting and/or helpful read, please SHARE it with friends and family to help keep the online community secure and protected. Also, please consider clicking the LIKE button below. Happy gaming, folks!