How to Spot Fake Deals this Holiday Season

The team at Brad's Deals knows how to find a bargain, and we're experts at weeding out fakes. Every year, we evaluate popular products from hundreds of online sellers. Here are a few insider tips on what to look for when verifying a trustworthy discount. When we shop for deals, we look for:

A trustworthy source
Verified reviews from real people
Actual contact information

That's how we found these deals:

Now, let's talk about how to spot fraudulent listings and other popular online shopping scams this holiday season.

How to Spot a Shopping Scam

Several common shopping scams mimic the look of real online stores. Some transmit malware, and others collect user information. There's even a less-threatening but all-too-common reason you see fake stores everywhere online. Unscrupulous entrepreneurs commonly set up "lead collection pages" to gather information from online shoppers. You can spot these types of pages in a few ways. Look out for the following.

Avoid Gibberish URLs

Scammers don't usually like up-front costs, so they're often unwilling to purchase high-quality domain names. A site with a gibberish URL can signify an untrustworthy site. Just don't rely on this as a scam's only indicator. Some scammers splurge on higher-quality domains. It's just not as common.

Be Wary of Sites Without Contact Information

Just because a website lists an address doesn't mean it's a valid business. Use the listed physical address and run it through Google Maps and check the "Street View." If it doesn't look like a business operates out of the place you see, it could be a fake business listing.

Real stores have real customer service teams. They have physical locations and operate with a staff of employees. Look for a way to contact the business.

Beware of Fake Reviews

We often talk about fake reviews. That's one of the reasons we love the Fakespot Analyzer. We use this service to automatically evaluate the veracity of reviews, even on huge sites like Amazon and Walmart. Scam sites often litter their fake product listings with 5-star reviews. . . and only five-star reviews.

Find Deals You Can Trust

When you watch out for these red flags, you can avoid some of the most common online shopping scams during the holiday season. Our team vets deals all day, every day. Download the free Brad's Deals app for immediate access to everything we found today.