Prices for fashion items imported from China and other countries are on the rise due to tariffs, prompting shoppers to seek out deals before costs increase further.
You might be tempted to buy if you find a clearance sale on boots, shoes or clothing. But before you click that purchase button, there are some important warning signs to watch for.
Watch to see the warning signs of a fake online retailer:
HeyDude shoes for just $7
Jesse Smith is a diesel mechanic who doesn't have much spare cash to throw around.
So when he saw a social media ad for trendy men's clothing and shoes at a deep discount, he jumped at the opportunity.
"The shoes were supposed to be HeyDude shoes, and they were 6 or 7 bucks a pair, and so I bought six pairs," Smith said.
He spent $40, plus tax and shipping, but he says he never received his order.
"They shipped the order twice supposedly, but I never received anything at my house, and I've been fighting to get my money back from them ever since," Smith said.
This past December, Alejandra Matos lost money to another fake retail site, also offering discount on HeyDudes.
When asked what they were offering, Matos said, "20 pairs of HeyDude shoes for just $50."
Social media ads filled with imposter retailers
Dave Hatter of Intrust IT Security says fake retail sites are becoming an epidemic because they advertise on social media and often pop up first in web searches.
"You can't assume just because you did a search, that what it presents to you is legitimate," Hatter said.
Hatter suspects those fake HeyDude sites copied content from a legitimate seller.
The same thing recently happened with clearance JoAnn Fabrics sites, which simply lifted photos and descriptions from the real site (the JoAnn going-out-of-business sales were only in-store and not offered online).
Hatter says consumers should check for red flags, such as no physical location or phone number listed on the website.
"If you can't find any contact us information other than how to buy, that's a strong red flag," Hatter said.
Another red flag is that customer reviews are all new.
"Do the reviews seem legitimate? Are they spanned over time, or just 30 reviews in the last couple of days?" Hatter said.
Hatter's biggest red flag is complaints at sites like the Better Business Bureau, Yelp or Trust Pilot.
That's where Jesse Smith found his seller had more than a dozen complaints for non-delivery.
He says he found other people with "the exact same complaint," he said.
Hatter says if the prices are too low and you've never heard of the retailer, you may want to skip it so you don't waste your money.
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