How to Avoid Holiday Shopping and Delivery Scams

Avoid holiday shopping scams by reaching stores through addresses you verify, checking the seller and return policy, distrusting prices far below the market, and refusing unexpected payment or redelivery requests. A message that creates urgency should slow the purchase down.

The Federal Trade Commission warns that fake shopping sites increase around the holiday season. Its online shopping scam guidance recommends researching unfamiliar sellers and comparing more than the advertised price.

Verify the store outside the advertisement

Do not let a social ad, text, or sponsored result be the only evidence that a store exists. Search for the business name plus “review,” “complaint,” and “scam.” Look for contact information, a physical business identity when applicable, and policies written for the actual store.

Check the address carefully. Extra words, misspellings, and unfamiliar domain endings can imitate a known retailer. Use a bookmark or type the retailer's known address when checking an order.

HTTPS protects data in transit; it does not prove that a seller is honest. A padlock alone is not a trust decision.

Compare the price with the product details

Scam offers often use a dramatic discount to shorten the buyer's attention. Compare the exact model, size, condition, included accessories, shipping, and seller. A product photo can be copied from another site.

If every popular item is deeply discounted and “almost sold out,” leave the page and verify independently. Our Black Friday deal checks provide a structured comparison for legitimate promotions too.

Read returns before entering payment details

Find the last return date, refund method, return address, shipping cost, restocking fee, and final-sale rules. Vague policies or a return address revealed only after purchase are warning signs.

Use our holiday return-policy checklist and save the terms that apply at checkout.

Treat delivery texts as unverified

A text claiming a package needs an address correction or small redelivery fee may be an impersonation scam. The FTC has documented fake package problems used to collect payment details in its imposter scam report.

Do not use the message link. Open the retailer or carrier's official app or website and enter a tracking number you received from the original order confirmation. Contact the carrier through its published channel if the status remains unclear.

Use a payment method with a dispute process

Review the protections and deadlines for the payment method before buying. Avoid sellers that demand gift cards, wire transfers, cryptocurrency, or payment through an unrelated person.

Never send a one-time code or account password to “customer service.” Legitimate support should not need your login credentials to locate an ordinary order.

If using buy now, pay later for a holiday gift, remember that the merchant return and the loan adjustment may be separate steps.

Verify customer service before a problem

Open the contact page and check whether the phone number or email belongs to the same business. Search the number rather than trusting a result displayed in an ad. Scammers buy search ads that imitate support lines.

Do not install remote-access software so a stranger can “fix” an order or refund. End the conversation and contact the company through a verified channel.

Keep an evidence folder

Save the item page, seller name, order confirmation, promised delivery, policy, and all messages. Record tracking and take photos if a package arrives damaged or materially different from the description.

If you paid a scammer, contact the payment provider promptly and report the incident at the FTC's official reporting site. Change passwords only through the real service and review accounts for unauthorized activity.

The fastest way to avoid a holiday scam is to allow time for verification. A real gift can survive a ten-minute pause. An offer that demands immediate payment deserves more checking, not less.