QR phishing6 minute read
Links and account access
QR code phishing and fake login pages
Unexpected QR codes can open copied login or payment pages before you have a useful chance to inspect the real address.
Scams by type
Online shopping scams: pay in a way you can dispute.
Shopping scams come in two shapes: shops and listings that never deliver, and buyers or sellers who talk you out of the platform’s protections. Unusually low prices, urgency and a request to pay by bank transfer are the common thread.
Before you pay, check who you are dealing with, keep the conversation on the platform and choose a payment method you can dispute. The guides below cover fake shops, marketplace tricks, rentals and bookings.
7 guides · Updated 13 October 2026
The guides
Choose the one that matches.
Each guide shows a realistic example with the warning signs marked, how to verify the contact without using its details, and what to do if you already acted.
Investment fraud6 minute read
Money and investments
Online investment and crypto fraud
Fake platforms, advisers and AI-generated personalities manufacture trust, profits and urgency before blocking withdrawals.
Tech support scams6 minute read
Devices and account access
Tech-support and remote-access scams
Fake security alerts and refund calls create a computer problem, then ask for remote control, banking access or a difficult-to-reverse payment.
Marketplace scams6 minute read
Shopping and services
Online marketplace buyer and seller scams
Fake buyers and sellers move conversations off-platform, imitate payment notices and remove the protections that make a marketplace useful.
Rental scams6 minute read
Shopping and services
Rental-listing and deposit scams
Copied photos, below-market prices and remote-landlord stories create pressure to pay or share identity documents before a property is genuinely available.
Fake shops9 minute read
Shopping and services
Fake online shops and social-media ads
Fake shops use paid adverts, copied brand designs and steep discounts to take payment for goods that never arrive or turn out to be cheap substitutes.
Tickets and travel9 minute read
Shopping and services
Ticket, holiday and booking scams
Sold-out events, holiday deals and travel disruption give scammers a reason to rush you — through resale posts, copycat sites, fake helplines and booking messages that ask you to pay or ‘re-verify’ a card.
What they have in common
Signs that come up again and again.
- Prices far below anywhere else, or a sale that is about to end
- A request to pay by bank transfer, cryptocurrency or gift card
- Pressure to move off the marketplace to chat or pay
- A ‘payment received’ email or screenshot instead of money in your account
- A deposit for a rental, ticket or pet you have not seen
- A website with no real contact details, or one that appeared very recently
What to do
Three moves that work every time.
Pay by card or through the platform
Paying by credit card generally gives you the most protection, and a marketplace’s own checkout keeps its rules on your side. Bank transfers, cryptocurrency and gift cards are much harder to get back.
Keep it on the platform
Messages and payments that stay on the marketplace are covered by its rules and records. A request to move elsewhere is a warning sign.
Check the seller yourself
Look for independent reviews and real contact details, and see a rental or an expensive item in person before paying.
Practise the pause
What would you do?
Try a realistic scenario before it happens for real. Choose a response and see why it helps or hurts.
Common questions
Short answers.
I paid and nothing arrived. Can I get my money back?
Contact your card provider or payment service as soon as possible and explain what happened. Card payments can often be disputed; recovery is harder for bank transfers, but report it to your bank immediately anyway.
Recovery by payment methodHow can I check that a shopping website is real?
Search the shop’s name with words like “scam” or “complaint”, look for a real address and phone number, and read the web address carefully. A padlock or ‘https’ only means the connection is encrypted — not that the shop is genuine.
Fake online shops guideSources