Online School Shopping Scams

More and more every year, back-to-school shopping happens online. This has great benefits but also brings unique risks compared to shopping in a physical store. Scammers convince parents to make a purchase and then never send the promised products or deliver poor-quality products. In 2025, shopping scams were the most reported scam on social media, according to the Federal Trade Commission, and more than 40% of people who lost money to a scam on social media said it started when they ordered a product they saw in an online ad. By knowing how to identify possible risks, consumers can avoid wasting their money and energy during the back-to-school season.

Dishonest Ads: Shoppers may receive an ad on their social media feed, in their text messages, or in their email promoting school supplies. More expensive items like bags, clothes, or laptops are commonly advertised as having a limited supply or only being on sale for a short time. These ads and links can lead to websites that are dishonest or outright scams.

Copycat Websites: These are convincing lookalikes that imitate real, well-known sales platforms. They are carefully designed to trick consumers into a false sense of familiarity and normalcy. Even if the price of a product seems too good to be true, consumers may trust the website if it appears to be sold from a trusted company.

Poor-Quality Products: Whether a seller uses a fraudulent copycat website or their own third-party sales platform, consumers should be mindful of low-quality, counterfeit, or knockoff products. Sellers may provide vague product information or sell popular items at suspiciously low prices that cannot be found anywhere else.

Fake Reviews: It’s possible for scammers to purchase or create fake product reviews and social media comments. Even if a company has a large number of followers or glowing testimonials, it could still be fraudulent, dishonest, or a scam. In addition, fake reviews may come from generic or unverified profiles, or from customers who were offered a free product or discount in exchange for a positive review.

Online shopping scams can lead to low quality products that quickly need replacement, lost money, or even identity theft. Before they buy, consumers should:

· Compare deals across several websites to check if a price is unrealistically low.

· When browsing online reviews, read some of the lowest rated ones. This is where problems posted by real consumers can be found. Pay attention to any trend across multiple bad reviews.

· Check reviews on third-party websites – not just the website owned by a business, which would allow them to delete negative reviews.

· Do their own research into an unfamiliar company and search for independent reviews. Including words like “scam” or “complaint” in the search can help find critical reviews.

· Check the website’s address. If it is different from the website’s usual URL, that is a red flag for a scam. If it starts with “http” instead of “https,” it does not transfer private data (like passwords or payment information) securely.

· Plan to pay with a credit card, which offers anti-fraud protection.

Don’t forget, all these risks apply anytime you shop online – even when preparing for America’s 250th anniversary celebrations!