How can you avoid holiday shopping scams?
Verify unfamiliar sellers, compare the full price and return terms, choose a payment method with appropriate protections, and check delivery messages through a website you already trust. Pause when a deal requires immediate payment or an unusual payment method. A convincing advert is not proof that a store is real.
Guidance reviewed October 22, 2026, for the upcoming holiday shopping season. This guide applies established FTC advice; it does not claim the FTC has announced a new 2026 alert or a new fraud statistic. Payment protections and deadlines depend on the circumstances. The cover is an AI-generated conceptual illustration.
Holiday shopping compresses decisions into a busy few weeks. You expect packages, watch limited-time offers and may buy from a store you have never used. Those ordinary habits give scammers useful openings. A short verification routine is more reliable than trying to decide whether every message looks suspicious.
How do you check an unfamiliar online store?
Search the seller's name and website address with words such as “review,” “complaint” or “scam,” and read the results beyond the store's own testimonials. Check contact details, shipping promises and return terms. An unusually cheap price deserves closer inspection, not a faster checkout.
Look at the full domain, not just the brand name in the advertisement. A copycat address can look plausible at a glance. Find the retailer independently rather than treating the advert's link as confirmation.
Consider whether reviews contain useful detail, whether complaints describe missing goods and whether the stated return process is realistic. No reviews is not proof of fraud, and a few good reviews is not proof of safety. Combine signals rather than using one as a guarantee.
The padlock or HTTPS indicator means the connection is encrypted; it does not establish that the seller is honest. A fraudulent site can also use encryption. Do not let a professional design or a secure-looking checkout replace seller research.
Which payment requests are warning signs?
A seller that insists on gift cards, wire transfers, cryptocurrency or a payment-app transfer should raise concern. The FTC recommends paying by credit card when possible because you may be able to dispute certain problem purchases. That does not mean every disputed purchase will be refunded.
Understand whether you are making a card purchase or sending a person-to-person payment. Protections are not interchangeable. A demand to leave a marketplace's checkout and pay a stranger directly can remove protections you expected from the platform.
If you use a credit card, keep the purchase within your budget and plan to pay the bill. A safer checkout method is not a reason to spend more than you can afford or carry interest-bearing debt for a discount.
What should you do with an unexpected delivery text?
Do not use the message's link to resolve a supposed delivery problem. Open the retailer's order page or the carrier's website through an address you know is legitimate, or use a verified phone number. Check the actual order and tracking details there.
Scammers can claim an address needs updating, a parcel is held or a small redelivery fee is due. A small fee can be a way to obtain card information rather than the scam's final cost. The message may arrive while you genuinely expect a package; that coincidence does not verify it.
If another family member placed the order, ask them through your usual contact method. Do not give a caller a one-time code or account password. Save the message if you need to report it, then follow the relevant spam-reporting instructions.
How can you buy gift cards more safely?
Inspect physical gift cards for tampered packaging, replaced stickers or exposed or scratched-off codes before buying. Choose another card or ask the retailer for help if something looks wrong. Keep the card and purchase receipt so you can report a problem to the issuer.
Gift cards are for gifts, not for paying a stranger who claims you owe a fee, tax or urgent bill. If someone tells you to buy a card and read out its numbers, stop and verify the situation independently. Once the code is shared, the money may be difficult to recover.
A hypothetical deal that is not really a saving
Imagine a familiar retailer sells a toy for $80, while a social advert offers it for $35 plus $10 shipping. The apparent saving is $35 compared with the $80 price, before considering any legitimate seller's shipping or taxes. The advert then asks you to pay outside the checkout using a gift card.
These prices are made up. The point is that the lower headline price does not make the payment request safer. If the goods never arrive, the $45 outlay may be lost, and replacing the gift costs more. Research the seller, compare the full cost and decline a payment demand that fails your safety checks.
Set a gift budget before browsing. A countdown timer does not change what you can afford. A planned purchase from a verified retailer can be better than a dramatic discount from a seller you cannot verify.
What if an order never arrives or you already paid a scammer?
Contact the seller through verified details and keep your order records. If you suspect fraud or cannot resolve the problem, contact the card issuer, bank, payment service or gift-card company promptly, explain what happened and ask about available dispute or recovery options. Do not assume reimbursement is guaranteed.
Keep confirmations, receipts, the seller's address, screenshots of the offer and the promised shipping date. Follow the provider's instructions and deadlines. Do not wait for an unverified seller's repeated promises until a reporting window has passed.
If you entered a password on a suspicious page, change it through the legitimate service and change any reused passwords. If identity information was exposed, use IdentityTheft.gov for a recovery plan. Report suspected scams at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.
Beware of a second scam: someone who promises to recover your money in exchange for an upfront payment. Verification matters after a loss as much as before a purchase.
Your five-minute pre-shopping checklist
- Set a total gift budget that includes shipping and other costs.
- Verify any unfamiliar seller and read return and delivery terms.
- Use an appropriate payment method without leaving a trusted checkout at a stranger's request.
- Save order records and check delivery through known websites.
- Review charges and report unfamiliar transactions promptly.
MoneyPatrol can help you review spending in supported connected accounts. It cannot certify a seller, stop every scam or guarantee recovery of a payment. Continue checking your bank and payment-provider notices directly.
For related safety steps, read bank impersonation scams and identity theft early warning signs.
Official sources
MoneyPatrol is not a financial, tax, investment, legal or accounting advisor. This article is for general educational purposes only and is not a substitute for personalised advice from a qualified professional. See our full disclaimer.
