Norton Logo
Please select your country/region
A woman happily shops online, knowing she's protected by Norton Scam Protection features.
icon shopping basket

Online shopping scams

Online shopping scams are a year-round risk, with deceptive schemes like fake discounts, spoofed websites, and delivery fraud consistently targeting shoppers across casual marketplaces and massive online stores alike.

 

Browse our collection to learn how to spot scam red flags, avoid fraud schemes, and sidestep online tricksters, so you can stay safer as you shop.

An infographic displaying statistics related to the growing threat posed by shopping scams.

How scammers target shoppers

Scammers have no shortage of strategies to use as they target online shoppers, with particularly popular tricks including bogus ads, phishing attempts, and fake shopping sites designed to mimic real retailers. These scams prey on urgency, trying to convince eager buyers to act before thinking.

Research by our own Threat Labs team reveals just how widespread these tactics have become. With millions of data points analyzed, we uncovered the patterns behind shopping scams to help you avoid them. Awareness paired with AI-powered scam protection will go a long way to keeping your money, identity, and purchases safe.

 

icon shopping scam

Learn about store-specific scams

Featured

Related articles

Related articles

How Norton can help

Online shopping scams are growing more sophisticated every day, but you don’t have to face them alone. The scam protection tools included with Norton 360 use advanced AI technology to recognize scams in real time, analyzing websites, emails, and links for suspicious signs.

Fake stores, real losses

Detect fake websites

Scammers create realistic-looking online stores to trick shoppers into handing over payment details for goods that will never arrive. The Norton Safe Web feature scans for subtle markers of fraudulent or malicious websites to alert you to the risk.

Make your inbox a scam-free zone

Flag scam messages

Phishing and smishing scams often look like genuine messages from trusted retailers or delivery services. Our Safe Email and Safe SMS tools analyze the wording, structure, and links in emails and texts to filter threats and protect your inboxes.

Destination: danger!

Spot malicious links

Shortened or disguised links are one of the most common ways scammers trick you into clicking. By automatically inspecting links in real time for hidden dangers, Norton Scam Protection can help you shop online without worrying about where each click might lead.

Learn, adapt, defend — automatically

Adapt to new threats

Cybercrooks constantly invent new ways to bypass defenses, from AI-generated scams to convincing deepfakes. That’s why our AI-powered scam detection doesn’t stand still either — it learns from emerging patterns of fraud, and adapts in real time to help you stay protected against tomorrow’s scams, too.

Shop safer with Norton

Start shopping, browsing, and banking with confidence. Norton 360 Deluxe combines AI-powered scam detection, device security, a VPN, and dark web monitoring in one easy-to-use solution. Get it today to help protect your data, identity, and money.

More online shopping tips

Featured

Related articles

Related articles

Get a Norton 360 free trial

Boost your defenses against online shopping scams with a free trial of Norton 360 Deluxe, featuring built-in AI-powered scam detection, antivirus protection, and VPN access.

Start free trial

Stay smart, stay safe

Get more in-depth advice to help you protect what matters most.

Want more?

Follow us for all the latest news, tips, and updates.

Twitter
Instagram
Facebook
YouTube