What to do with a suspicious shopping link.
A message can copy a store, bank, delivery company, or marketplace. Check the claim without using the message's link or phone number.
Use this for a link in an unexpected text, email, ad, or message.
Take these steps.
Work from top to bottom. You can stop as soon as the seller or request no longer makes sense.
Read the claim without responding
Unexpected order, delivery, refund, and account messages often try to make you act fast. Do not reply, call the number, or open an attachment.
Verify it in a separate place
Open the company's real app or type its address yourself. Check your order or account there. If you expect a package, use the tracking number on the carrier's real website.
If you clicked, stop before entering information
Close the page. Do not download a file or allow notifications. If a file downloaded, update your security software and run a scan.
If you shared information, protect it now
Change any password you entered on the real website, and change it anywhere else you reused it. Contact your bank or card company if you entered payment details.
Pause when you see this.
- The message says a package, order, refund, or account needs action now.
- The web address has extra words, odd spelling, or a different ending.
- The message asks for a small delivery fee or payment details.
- A file, app, or browser update must be downloaded to continue.
- The sender tells you not to verify the request another way.
Keep this in mind.
A real-looking name or logo in a message can be copied. Verify the claim through contact details you found on your own.
Read the official advice.
This guide paraphrases public advice from the sources below. We checked them on July 31, 2026.