Online Shopping Scams Are Everywhere – Here’s How to Spot Them and Stay Safe

If you’ve shopped online in the past year, you’ve probably seen deals that seem too good to be true. A stainless steel cookware set for $12. A designer jacket for 90% off. A “veterans discount” link shared in a Facebook group.

Many of those offers are scams. According to the FBI’s 2024 Internet Crime Report, online shopping scams cost U.S. consumers hundreds of millions of dollars each year. The problem isn’t limited to holiday rushes — it persists year-round, and military families and veterans are frequent targets.

The good news is that most of these scams follow predictable patterns. Once you know what to look for, you can avoid them without much effort.

What happened

In January 2026, the Department of Veterans Affairs published a reminder on VA News urging veterans and their families to watch out for scams and stay safe while online shopping. The article notes that scammers often pose as legitimate retailers, use fake customer reviews, and create lookalike websites that mimic well-known brands. The VA alert came alongside a broader uptick in fraud reports, including an FBI warning about scams targeting older adults and service members.

Similar guidance has been issued by the Military Officers Association of America (MOAA), which in July 2025 outlined scams that specifically target military communities — such as fake “military-only” discounts or phishing messages that claim to be from the Department of Defense.

Why it matters

Online shopping scams are more than just an inconvenience. When you pay with a debit card or a gift card, recovering your money can be difficult or impossible. Scammers also harvest personal information — addresses, phone numbers, and financial details — that can be used for identity theft.

For military families, the stakes are higher. Frequent relocations and deployments make it harder to track financial irregularities, and scammers know that. The VA and FBI have both noted that fraudsters exploit the trust placed in military and government logos, creating fake websites that look official.

Even if you never fall for a scam, the sheer volume of fraudulent listings and phishing emails wastes time and erodes trust in legitimate online shopping.

What readers can do

You can reduce your risk with a few straightforward habits. Here’s what I recommend based on advice from the FTC, FBI, and VA.

Check the URL before you click. Scammers often register addresses that differ from the real site by one letter (like “amaz0n.com” instead of “amazon.com”). If a link comes from an email or social media ad, hover over it first to see the actual destination. Legitimate retail sites use “https://” and a padlock icon in the browser bar.

Watch for unusual payment requests. If a seller insists on wire transfers, cryptocurrency, or gift cards, that’s a major red flag. Credit cards offer the strongest fraud protection — use them when possible. The FBI and FTC both advise against using debit cards for online purchases from unfamiliar sellers.

Look up the company independently. Before you buy from a business you don’t know, search for its name plus “scam” or “complaint.” Check the Better Business Bureau or read reviews on third-party sites. Keep in mind that fake reviews exist, so look for patterns rather than a single five-star rating.

Be skeptical of urgent offers. Scammers often create false urgency: “Only 3 left!” or “Sale ends in 10 minutes!” That’s meant to keep you from thinking through the purchase. If you feel pressured to decide immediately, it’s safer to walk away.

Protect your accounts. Use a different, strong password for each shopping site, and enable two-factor authentication wherever it’s offered. A password manager can help. For veterans, be especially careful about any request that asks for your VA claim number, Social Security number, or military ID number.

If you think you’ve been scammed, act fast. Contact your bank or credit card issuer to stop the payment. Change the password on any compromised account. Then file a report with the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov and with the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) at ic3.gov. For scams targeting veterans, you can also report to the VA Office of Inspector General.

Sources

  • VA News, “Watch out for scams and stay safe while online shopping,” January 28, 2026.
  • FBI, “FBI Releases Annual Internet Crime Report,” May 13, 2025.
  • MOAA, “Military Scams: How to Spot Them and Protect Your Community,” July 29, 2025.
  • Federal Trade Commission, “Spot Health Insurance Scams,” December 2, 2025.
  • VA News, “Navigating holiday shopping risks when shopping online,” November 28, 2024.