Safe online shopping and payments
Which payment methods protect you and which do not, how to check a shop before you buy, safe use of payment apps, and what to do when an order goes wrong.
How you pay matters most
The safest shop in the world can still be hacked, and the most convincing fake shop can look perfect. What protects you either way is how you pay. Some payment methods let you get your money back; others are like handing over cash.
| Payment method | Buyer protection | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Credit card | Strong | US law limits liability for unauthorized charges to $50, and most issuers offer $0 liability; you can dispute non-delivery |
| Debit card | Medium | Money leaves your account immediately; disputes take longer; report fast |
| PayPal (goods and services) | Good | Purchase Protection applies to eligible goods and services payments, not "friends and family" |
| Apple Pay, Google Pay | Strong (uses your card) | Tokenized: the shop never sees your real card number |
| Zelle, Venmo friends, Cash App | Weak | Designed for people you know; scam payments are very hard to recover |
| Wire transfer, gift cards, crypto | None in practice | Almost impossible to reverse; scammers' favorite methods |
Use a credit card or a digital wallet (Apple Pay, Google Pay) for online purchases, and keep peer-to-peer payment apps for people you know in real life.
Check the shop before you buy
- Look up reviews on independent sites, not on the shop itself, and search the shop's name with "scam".
- Check how long the domain has existed. Brand-new shops with huge discounts on popular items are a classic fake-shop pattern.
- Look for real contact details: a physical address, a working phone number, a clear returns policy.
- Be wary of social media ads for heavily discounted designer goods, electronics or "closing down" sales.
- Type the address yourself for big retailers instead of clicking ads or emailed deals. See safe browsing.
Protect your card details
- Virtual card numbers: many banks and card issuers, and some services, let you create a separate card number for one shop or one purchase, with a spending limit. If it leaks, cancel it without replacing your main card.
- Turn on transaction alerts in your banking app so you see every charge instantly.
- Do not save cards on small or rarely used shops. Save them only on large retailers you use often, and secure those accounts with two-factor authentication.
- Never send card details by email, text or chat.
Payment app safety
- Double-check the recipient's name, phone number or username before sending.
- Never accept a "refund" request from a stranger who says they "sent too much".
- Turn on the app's PIN or biometric lock and two-factor authentication.
- Do not use payment apps to pay deposits to landlords, sellers or employers you have not verified in person.
Delivery and order scams
After you shop, expect fake messages about your delivery: "address incomplete", "customs fee required", "package on hold". Track orders only in the retailer's or carrier's official app or website. See smishing and vishing.
When something goes wrong
- Contact the seller in writing and keep copies.
- Dispute the charge with your card issuer or PayPal if the item never arrives, is fake, or is not as described. Act quickly; dispute windows are limited (often around 60 days from the statement date for US credit card billing errors).
- Report fake shops to the platform where you saw the ad, and in the US to ReportFraud.ftc.gov.
- If you paid by an unprotected method, contact your bank or app immediately anyway; rapid reports occasionally succeed.