Scam type
Online Purchase Scams
Online purchase fraud covers a broad family of schemes: convincing but fake web shops, marketplace and classified-ad sellers who vanish after payment, counterfeit or substitute goods sold as genuine, and fraudulent 'escrow' or 'shipping agent' services invented to make a transaction look protected.
If a purchase has gone wrong, the payment method you used usually determines which protections exist. ChargeBack can help you work out which route applies, organise your order records and correspondence into a clear case file, and prepare the dispute or complaint so it is presented properly to your bank, payment provider, or the marketplace.
The pattern
How this scam typically works
The storefront
Fraudsters build a professional-looking shop or marketplace listing, often copying photos and text from legitimate retailers. Prices sit just below market rate — attractive, but not absurd enough to raise suspicion.
The order
Checkout works smoothly and a confirmation email arrives, which makes the shop feel real. Some sellers steer buyers away from the platform's protected checkout towards bank transfer, crypto, or 'friends and family' payments.
The stall
Delivery dates slip, tracking numbers turn out to be fake or belong to unrelated parcels, and customer service replies with excuses — customs delays, warehouse issues, or requests for extra 'shipping insurance' fees.
The disappearance
The goods never arrive, or a counterfeit or worthless substitute turns up instead. Eventually the website goes offline, the seller account is deleted, and messages go unanswered.
Warning signs
- Prices noticeably below every established retailer for in-demand items
- A seller who insists on bank transfer, crypto, gift cards, or 'friends and family' payments instead of the platform's protected checkout
- A newly registered website with no verifiable company address or phone number
- An 'escrow' or 'shipping agent' service the seller chose and you cannot independently verify
- Tracking numbers that do not work or show delivery to a different address
- Requests for additional fees after payment — customs, insurance, or 'release' charges
What to do right now
- Stop paying anything further — legitimate sellers do not demand extra fees to release goods you have already bought.
- Contact your bank, card issuer, or payment provider straight away, explain that you believe the purchase is fraudulent, and ask what dispute or buyer-protection options apply.
- If you bought through a marketplace, open a formal dispute inside the platform within its deadline — informal messages to the seller do not count.
- Report the matter to your local police or national fraud-reporting service and keep the reference number.
- Preserve everything before it disappears: the listing, the website, order confirmations, tracking details, and all messages with the seller.
Evidence worth collecting
- Order confirmations, invoices, and payment receipts
- Bank, card, or payment-provider statements showing the transaction
- Screenshots of the product listing, website pages, and seller profile
- All messages and emails exchanged with the seller or 'escrow' service
- Tracking numbers and courier records, including any misdelivery evidence
- Photographs of counterfeit or wrong goods and their packaging, if anything arrived
- The website addresses, company names, and account details you paid to
How ChargeBack can help
- Assess your case and identify which buyer-protection or dispute route fits the payment method you used
- Reconstruct a clear timeline of the order, payments, and seller contact
- Organise your records into a coherent case file that a bank or platform can act on
- Help you prepare the chargeback, buyer-protection claim, or platform dispute with the right evidence attached
- Prepare a written summary you can give to your bank, the police, or a consumer-protection body
We assess and document; banks, payment providers, and authorities decide outcomes. No recovery can be guaranteed by anyone.
Possible channels
Dispute and reporting channels that may apply
Which channels are realistic depends on how you paid, where the money went, and how quickly the incident was reported.
Card chargeback
If you paid by credit or debit card, your issuer may raise a dispute for goods not received or not as described under card-scheme rules. Some countries add statutory credit-card protections on top. Time limits apply, so contact your issuer promptly.
PayPal and payment-app buyer protection
Payments made through PayPal 'goods and services' and some other payment apps carry buyer protection with their own claim process and deadlines. 'Friends and family' payments are usually excluded, which is exactly why fraudsters ask for them.
Marketplace resolution schemes
Platforms such as auction sites and large marketplaces run their own dispute programmes for non-delivery and counterfeit claims, but only for payments made through their checkout and only within strict windows.
Bank transfer recall and police reporting
If you paid by bank transfer, your bank can attempt a recall from the receiving bank, and a police or national fraud-office report creates the official record banks often require. Crypto payments cannot be reversed, but the transaction details still belong in your report.
FAQ
Common questions
Start here
Start with a free, confidential consultation.
Tell us what happened. We will review the information and explain whether our services are relevant — and, if you choose to proceed, exactly what any investigation would involve and cost.