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Seniors · Issue 3 ·

Spot a Fake Shopping Website Before the Holiday Sales

Hello again, friend!

As promised: how to spot a fake shopping website before the holiday sales.

You search for a gift and find the hard-to-find item at a wonderful price. A polished page doesn't prove the seller is genuine. Before you enter your card details, take a breath. You don't need to become a computer detective to shop more safely.

Before you buy:

  1. Type the store's address yourself. Skip the ad or text link. Use a store you already know and trust, checking the spelling carefully.
  2. Look up an unfamiliar seller. Search its name with "review," "complaint," or "scam." Read more than the reviews on its own website.
  3. Check payment and keep records. Prefer a credit card. A seller insisting on gift cards, wire transfers or cryptocurrency is a reason to stop. Save your receipt and order number.

Optional extra checks

Malwarebytes Scam Link Check is free, without a login or download. Its website terms require users to be 18+. Pasting a link sends it to Malwarebytes for scanning. Don't submit private account or password-reset links. Its privacy policy describes website logs, including IP addresses; a specific retention period for submitted checker links isn't publicly stated in the pages reviewed November 8.

Google Safe Browsing site status offers another check. If either tool warns of danger, stay away. Our advice: if a result is unclear, don't proceed until you can verify the seller another way.

Neither a "safe" result nor an absence of warnings guarantees delivery, refunds, or an honest business. New scam sites may not have been flagged yet.

New lately: Android protections announced October 14, 2026

Google announced optional Enhanced protection in Google Messages, with availability depending on your device. Google's current help says to tap your profile picture, then Messages settings, Protection & Safety, and Spam and scam protection. Choose Enhanced protection if available. It can use private cloud analysis as well as on-device checks; it won't catch every scam. These are Google's documented steps, not a phone test by us.

Try this today: bookmark a store you already trust.

Next week: fake "missed delivery" texts, and how to check a package message.

Know a holiday shopper? Forward this.

Warmly,

Team GiggleByte

Sources

Get The Safe Click