Be aware of online shopping scams

A massive scam targeting you

Silent Push analysts uncovered thousands of fake websites posing as trusted stores like Apple, Michael Kors, Harbor Freight, REI, Omaha Steaks and more. There’s a massive global scam operation that uses real payment methods on fake checkout pages. Like thousands-of-sites massive.

The twist? The criminals, likely based in China, take your payment and ghost you. No product. No refund. No customer service. Total fake-out.

They cloned sites

They’re copying everything. Logos, layouts, even the checkout process, so much so that you’d swear you were on the real REI website while buying $10 trail shoes. 

But there were some sites with mismatched logos and products. A Harbor Freight clone showed Wrangler jeans.

Even worse: These scam sites are popping up faster than hosting companies can take them down. Many are still up right now.

Don’t fall for it 

  • Slow down and read. Misspelled words, weird domain names like “nordstromltems​.com” (that’s an L, not an I) or random products are huge red flags.
  • Use virtual cards or a credit card. Not a debit card. You need that fraud protection.
  • Stick to the real URL. Skip the sketchy ads. Always type the URL in yourself.
  • If the deal looks too good, it probably is a scam. Period.

Bottom line: If the deal looks like it crawled straight out of your dreams, it’s probably from your nightmares. Slow down before you click “buy.” 

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