Stay safer while shopping: How NordVPN’s Threat Protection Pro™ protects you against fake shops

Why are fake online shopping scams dangerous?

Online shopping scams, including fake shopping websites, are a growing problem for shoppers worldwide. These deceptive sites are made to look like real e-commerce platforms and often use professional designs, fake customer reviews, and tempting discounts to trick buyers. The goal of these scams is to trick even the most cautious shoppers into making purchases or providing personal details. Unfortunately, the result is often devastating for the consumer – orders never arrive, financial information is stolen, and victims are left dealing with severe consequences like financial loss, identity theft, and immense stress.

Fake shops are especially dangerous because they are so convincing. These fraudulent sites usually impersonate legitimate brands and try to trick users by making subtle changes to their domain names. For example, they might replace “Amazon” with “Arnazon” or use short URLs to hide the actual web address. These small changes are easy to miss, especially when combined with professional-looking designs, fake reviews, and irresistible deals. Some sites even go as far as displaying counterfeit security certificates to further deceive users. People need to be aware and protected from these growing online scams.

A rising number of fake shops

Fake shops are on the rise, especially during the sales season. Cybercriminals use advanced tools, including AI, to create fake shops that lure people with deals that are simply too good to resist. In fact, a survey conducted by NordVPN in 2023 revealed that one in four Americans who have fallen victim to online scams experienced them during shopping events like Black Friday and Cyber Monday.

NordVPN’s Threat Protection Pro™ statistics reveal that the number of blocked attempts to access fake shops recently increased by 35.8%, from around 9.9 million attempts in September to 13.4 million in October — an average of 381 thousand blocked attempts per day. This jump in activity suggests that online shopping scams are becoming more common as the holiday shopping season gets closer. This number will probably be even higher during Black Friday and Cyber Monday shopping events.

Common tactics used by fake online shopping sites

Fraudulent online shops use various misleading strategies to deceive consumers. These methods trick people into making purchases and make it impossible to resolve issues or recover funds after being scammed:

• Unrealistic discounts and prices. These sites offer popular items at unbeatable prices but disappear as soon as they have your payment, leaving customers with no way to get their money back.
• Substandard or fake products. When orders are delivered, they’re often not as advertised. Instead of high-quality items, customers receive cheap or fake products – or often nothing at all.
• Impersonating legitimate brands. Scammers copy logos, website designs, and use domain names similar to real brands, making their fake shops look authentic.
• Fake reviews. These fraudulent sites post overly positive reviews and hide negative ones to make their shop seem reliable and trustworthy. These fake reviews tend to be vague and lack specific details, making them easier to spot upon closer inspection. A common red flag is when a very young site has an unusually high number of reviews. Scammers use this tactic to quickly establish trust and lure unsuspecting victims.
• Phishing. Scammers send convincing emails or targeted ads that look like they’re from real brands, tricking users into visiting fraudulent shops.

How to recognize fake shops and protect yourself

While cybersecurity tools are great, it’s also important to be able to spot fake shops on your own. Here are some tips to help you identify scam websites and shop safely online:

• Be skeptical of unbelievable discounts. Deals that seem too good to be true often are. Check prices on trusted sites and be cautious of big discounts on popular items.
• Examine website quality. Look for poor grammar, low-quality images, or broken links. If something seems off, trust your instincts.
• Watch out for misspelled domains. Be cautious of domain names that are misspelled or seem suspicious, regardless of the top-level domain (TLD) used. Always check for a valid SSL certificate, indicated by “https://” and a padlock symbol, and ensure that the certificate is issued by a trusted Certificate Authority (CA). You can also use a URL checker to verify that the domain is safe.
• Look for contact information. Legitimate websites will provide clear contact details, including a physical address, phone number, and email address. These details are usually found in the header, footer, or “About” page.
• Review privacy policies and terms. Ensure the website has a clear privacy policy and accessible terms and conditions for returns, refunds, and shipping.
• Avoid unusual payment methods. Be cautious if a site insists on unusual payment methods like wire transfers, gift cards, or cryptocurrency. Scammers favor these methods because they are harder to trace.
• Research the retailer. Do a quick search online of the retailer’s name along with keywords like “reviews” or “scams.” Avoid sites with mostly negative or suspicious reviews.
• Use cybersecurity and privacy tools. Tools like NordVPN’s Threat Protection Pro™ actively block malicious sites, phishing scams, and malware to make your shopping experience safer.

NordVPN’s Threat Protection Pro™ — a security solution recognized by AV-Comparatives

NordVPN’s Threat Protection Pro™ is one of the top solutions for protecting against scams, phishing attacks, and other cybersecurity threats, including fake shops. It scans your downloads for malware, removes any harmful files, and improves your browsing experience by blocking annoying ads and trackers that collect your personal information. This tool works within NordVPN’s desktop apps and doesn’t need an active VPN connection to provide protection.

A significant advantage of Threat Protection Pro™ is its advanced anti-phishing capabilities. By using smart AI and an extensive database, the tool helps prevent you from visiting dangerous or fraudulent websites, including new and sophisticated threats that other tools might miss. In September and October alone, it has successfully blocked over 23 million attempts to access fake shops.

Previously, NordVPN was the first VPN to receive AV-Comparatives’ certification as an anti-phishing tool. And just recently, AV-Comparatives conducted an extensive test to evaluate the effectiveness of various cybersecurity products in detecting and blocking fake shops. Out of 35 solutions tested against 500 fake shops and 100 legitimate ones, NordVPN’s Threat Protection Pro™ ranked third, which shows that it’s highly effective at protecting users from online scams.

It’s worth noting that the products that ranked higher in the test are browser extensions. In contrast, Threat Protection Pro™ works on our VPN app and covers all browsers (and your activity) in just one click.

You can read more about the test on the AV-Comparatives website: https://www.av-comparatives.org/tests/fake-shops-detection-test-2024/.