How to Shop Safely Online This Holiday Season

Holiday shopping online is easy, and scammers know it. Here’s how to shop safely online this season: check a website’s address (and what the lock really means), spot fake stores and too-good-to-be-true deals in social media ads, pay the safe way, protect your shopping accounts, ignore fake delivery-problem texts, skip public Wi-Fi when you shop, and check your statements.

How to shop safely online: step by step

1Step 1: Check the website address, and know what the lock means

Fake stores use names and addresses that look almost right. Read the address bar: is this really the store you meant to visit?

WHAT TO DOThe lock only means the connection is private. It doesn’t mean the store is honest. Type the store’s address yourself, or use its app.

Shop safely online: Step 1: Check the website address, and know what the lock means

4Strong passwords and two-factor sign-in

Give every shopping account its own strong password, and let a password manager remember them. Turn on two-factor sign-in, so a stolen password isn’t enough.

WHAT TO DOUse the store’s app or a saved bookmark, instead of links in emails and texts.

Strong passwords and two-factor sign-in

5Step 5: Ignore “delivery problem” texts

Fake texts pretending to be USPS, UPS, FedEx or Amazon say your package is on hold and ask you to tap a link.

WHAT TO DODon’t tap the link. On iPhone, tap Report Junk, then Delete and Report Junk. On any phone, you can forward it to 7726. Check a delivery in the shipper’s own app or website.

Step 5: Ignore “delivery problem” texts

6Skip public Wi-Fi when you shop

Free Wi-Fi at a café, airport or hotel is shared with strangers. Wait until you’re home, or use your phone’s cellular data.

WHAT TO DONever type card numbers or passwords on a network you don’t control.

Skip public Wi-Fi when you shop

Step 2: spot fake stores and too-good deals

Ads on social media — Fake stores buy ads that look just like real ones
Discounts that are too good to be true — Brand names at a fraction of the usual cost
Countdown timers and “only 2 left!” — Pressure to buy before you think
Look them up first — Search the store’s name with “scam”, “complaint” or “reviews”

Step 3: pay the safe way

A credit card — The FTC says it best protects you if something goes wrong
PayPal or a trusted checkout — Linked to your credit card
Gift cards — A store that only takes gift cards is a scam
Wire transfers, Zelle or crypto — Once it’s sent, it’s very hard to get back

Step 7: check your statements

Look at your card activity every week — Through the holidays, in your bank’s app
Turn on purchase alerts — A text or app alert for every charge
Don’t recognize a charge? — Call the number on the back of your card right away

Think you’ve been scammed?

Call your card company or bank right away — Ask them to stop or dispute the payment
Change your passwords — Start with the account you used, and your email
Report it at ReportFraud.ftc.gov — It helps stop the scammers
Clicked a link or installed something? — Have your computer checked: call us at 239-513-1960

Recap: how to shop safely online

Check the website address
Too good to be true? It is
Pay by credit card or PayPal
Strong passwords + two-factor
Don’t tap delivery-text links
No shopping on public Wi-Fi

Printable quick guide

Shop Safely Online This Holiday Season (1-page quick guide PDF)

Frequently asked questions

Does the lock icon mean a shopping website is safe?

No. The lock means your connection to the site is private (encrypted). It doesn’t mean the store is honest: scammers can get a lock too. Check the website address carefully, or type the store’s address yourself.

What is the safest way to pay when I shop online?

A credit card. The FTC says paying by credit card best protects you if something goes wrong, because you can dispute the charge. PayPal or another trusted checkout linked to your card is fine too. Never pay with gift cards, and don’t pay strangers by wire transfer, Zelle or cryptocurrency.

I got a text saying my package is on hold. Is it real?

Probably not. Fake texts pretend to be USPS, UPS, FedEx or Amazon and ask you to tap a link to fix your address or pay a fee. Don’t tap the link. Report it as junk (on iPhone: Report Junk) or forward it to 7726, and check deliveries in the shipper’s own app or website.

How can I tell if an online store is fake?

Be careful with stores you find through social media ads, discounts that are too good to be true, countdown timers and “only 2 left” messages, and stores that want gift cards or wire transfers. Search the store’s name with the words scam, complaint or reviews before you buy.

What should I do if I think I was scammed shopping online?

Call your card company or bank right away and ask them to stop or dispute the payment, change your passwords, and report it at ReportFraud.ftc.gov. If you clicked a link or installed something, have your computer checked: call Naples Computers at 239-513-1960.

Real shippers and stores don’t text you a link to fix your address or pay a fee. Go to the store or shipper yourself, with its app or a bookmark. And remember: Naples Computers will never call you out of the blue asking to get on your computer.