Mother’s Day Shoppers Beware: Common Scams and How to Avoid Them

Mother’s Day is just a few days away, and many people are still shopping for gifts. Unfortunately, scammers know this too. The Better Business Bureau (BBB) recently issued a consumer alert warning that con artists are actively targeting Mother’s Day shoppers with fake websites, phishing emails, and gift card fraud. If you’re finishing up your gift buying online, it’s worth taking a few extra minutes to verify who you’re dealing with.

What Happened: BBB Issues Mother’s Day Scam Alert

On May 7, 2026, the BBB published an alert, which was also reported by the Daily Herald, cautioning shoppers about an increase in seasonal scams. According to the alert, fraudsters are setting up fake online stores that mimic well‑known retailers, advertising steep discounts or hard‑to‑find items. Others are sending phishing emails that appear to come from legitimate companies, offering free gift cards or “exclusive” Mother’s Day deals. A third common tactic involves social media ads that lead to look‑alike checkout pages designed to steal credit card numbers.

These scams are not new, but they become more frequent around holidays when people are in a hurry and more likely to click before thinking.

Why It Matters

For most people, a lost order or a small fraudulent charge is annoying but manageable. But the damage can go further. Fake websites and phishing emails are often used to harvest personal information—names, addresses, and even Social Security numbers—that can be used for identity theft. Gift card fraud, where a scammer asks you to pay with a gift card and then drains the balance, is almost impossible to reverse because gift cards are treated like cash.

Less tech‑savvy shoppers (parents, grandparents, or anyone who doesn’t spend a lot of time online) are especially vulnerable. They may not know how to check a website’s legitimacy or recognize a phishing attempt. A few minutes of education can save them from losing money or having their identity stolen.

What Readers Can Do: Recognizing and Avoiding Scams

You don’t need to be a cybersecurity expert to protect yourself. Here are practical steps that work for most online shopping situations:

Check the website address carefully. Scammers often register domain names that look real at a glance—like “target-discounts.shop” instead of “target.com.” Look for misspellings, extra words, or unusual top‑level domains (.xyz, .top, etc.). The safest sites use “https://” and show a padlock icon, but that alone is not proof of legitimacy; many fake sites also use HTTPS now.

Research the seller before you buy. If you’re on a store you’ve never heard of, search for the company name plus “scam” or “complaint.” Check the Better Business Bureau’s website (bbb.org) to see if the business has a rating or a history of complaints. A missing or suspicious BBB listing is a red flag.

Be suspicious of deals that seem too good. A 90% discount on the latest smartwatch or a “free” $100 gift card just for filling out a survey is almost certainly a scam. Scammers use these offers to collect your payment information or to trick you into paying a small shipping fee that never leads to a product.

Avoid clicking links in unsolicited emails or texts. Even if the message looks like it came from a store you use, open a new browser tab and go directly to the company’s official website. Phishing emails can look identical to real messages, but the link takes you to a fake page.

Pay with a credit card, not a debit card or gift card. Credit cards offer better fraud protection, and you can dispute a charge. Scammers often insist on gift cards, wire transfers, or peer‑to‑peer payment apps like Venmo and Zelle—these methods are hard to trace and almost never refunded.

If something goes wrong, act quickly. Contact your bank or credit card issuer immediately to report any fraudulent charges. Then file a complaint with the BBB’s Scam Tracker and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) at ReportFraud.ftc.gov. Your report helps warn others and may assist law enforcement.

Sources

  • BBB Scam Alert (May 7, 2026), as reported in the Daily Herald: “BBB scam alert: Con artists target Mother’s Day shoppers”
  • BBB.org – Scam Tracker and business reviews
  • FTC – ReportFraud.ftc.gov