How to Identify and Avoid a Tech Support Scam
How the Trick Works
Scammers running fake stores do not usually ship you anything at all. Instead, many of them buy a cheap, lightweight item, sometimes something as small as a bag of rubber bands or a piece of paper, and mail it to a random address using a legitimate shipping carrier like USPS, UPS, or FedEx. That package gets a real, valid tracking number.
The scammer then puts that tracking number on your order. When you check it, everything looks normal. The carrier's own website confirms the package is moving, and eventually confirms it was delivered. To you, it looks like proof that your order is legitimate and on its way. In reality, the tracking number has nothing to do with the item you actually paid for. This trick exists specifically to get past two things: your own suspicion, and the fraud detection systems that banks and payment companies use. If a bank sees a valid tracking number showing "delivered," it may be less likely to flag the transaction as suspicious right away, which can slow down a refund.
Some versions of the scam skip the physical package entirely and simply send a fake tracking link that displays false information on a lookalike website designed to resemble a real carrier's tracking page. Either way, the goal is the same: to keep you calm and patient for as long as possible so that the window to dispute the charge with your bank closes before you realize anything is wrong.
The Second Layer: The Store Itself
The fake store Margaret ordered from is part of a much larger pattern described in the FTC's guide on avoiding online shopping scams. These sites are often built quickly using cheap website templates, and many of them share the same layout, the same stock photos, and even the same fake countdown timers, just with different logos and product names. They often exist for only a few weeks before disappearing and reappearing under a new name and web address.
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A few features tend to show up again and again in these stores:
Unusually large discounts. A price that is dramatically lower than anywhere else, especially on a well known or trending product, is one of the biggest warning signs.
Very new websites. Many fake stores are registered only days or weeks before you see the ad. There is no long history of customers, no local presence, and no way to verify the business actually exists.
Pressure to act fast. Countdown clocks, "only 3 left in stock" messages, and urgent sounding pop-ups are designed to stop you from taking the time to research the seller.
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No clear way to contact a real person. Look for a working phone number or a real street address. Many fake stores only offer a contact form or an email address that never gets answered.
Payment requests outside normal channels. Some ask you to pay by gift card, wire transfer, or cryptocurrency instead of a credit card, because those payment methods are very hard to reverse.
Why Older Adults Are Often Targeted
Scammers running these operations often specifically design ads to appear on social media platforms and in search results where they know a wide range of people, including older adults, will see them. This is not because older adults are less capable. It is because scammers know that a lifetime of trusting well known store names, catalog ads, and mail order shopping can make a convincing fake website feel familiar and safe. It is also because many older adults use debit cards, which offer weaker fraud protections than credit cards.
According to the Federal Trade Commission, scammers are active on social media year round, and they often impersonate real, trusted companies while running ads for name brand products at prices that are too good to be true. The FTC notes that clicking on these ads can lead to a website built purely to take your money in exchange for a counterfeit item, something completely different from what was advertised, or nothing at all.
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A Related Trick: The "Brushing" Scam
There is a second, closely related scam worth knowing about. Sometimes people receive a package in the mail that they never ordered. It might be a cheap item like a phone case or a set of small tools. This is often called a brushing scam. According to the FTC, this happens when a scammer uses your name and address to leave a fake glowing review for a product you never actually bought, which helps boost that product's ranking and sales on a shopping website.
If this happens to you, the good news is that you generally do not need to pay for or return the item. However, it is a sign that your name, address, and possibly other personal information are circulating somewhere they should not be, so it is worth being extra cautious about unexpected calls, texts, or emails for a while afterward.
What Margaret Did Right, and What Helped Her Get Her Money Back
Margaret's story had a reasonably good ending, and the steps she took afterward are useful for anyone in the same situation.
She kept every piece of evidence. This included a screenshot of the original ad, the confirmation email, the tracking page, and the seller's website before it disappeared. When she called her bank, she was able to explain clearly that the tracking number did not correspond to any package sent to her address, since the "delivered to" location listed by the carrier was in a different state entirely. This detail made her dispute much stronger.
She also filed a report with the Federal Trade Commission at ReportFraud.ftc.gov and checked the seller's name on the Better Business Bureau's Scam Tracker tool, where she found several other people describing the exact same experience.
Her bank issued a provisional credit while it investigated, and within about six weeks, the charge was permanently reversed.
Practical Steps to Protect Yourself and Your Family
Pay with a credit card whenever possible, not a debit card. Credit cards generally offer stronger protections and let you dispute a charge before the money actually leaves your account.
Search the store's name along with the word "reviews" or "scam" before buying. A few extra minutes of searching can reveal a pattern of complaints from other buyers.
Be suspicious of any tracking number that never updates past "label created" or that shows delivery to an unfamiliar city or state. You can check tracking numbers directly on the carrier's official website, such as USPS.com, UPS.com, or FedEx.com, rather than trusting a tracking link sent by the seller.
Talk with family members about setting up simple safeguards, such as calling a trusted relative before making a purchase from an unfamiliar website, or reviewing bank and credit card statements together every month.
Report suspicious stores and scams. You can file a report directly with the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov, and check a business's reputation using the Better Business Bureau's Scam Tracker.
The Bigger Picture
The most important thing to understand is that a professional looking website, a tracking number, and even a countdown timer are not proof that a store is real. All of these things can be faked or misused. The habits that protect you best are patience, a quick search before you buy, using a credit card, and knowing exactly who to call, whether that is your bank, a family member, or the FTC, the moment something feels off.
Margaret still shops online, including for patio furniture. She just does a little more homework first, and she has made it a habit to check in with her daughter before clicking "buy" on anything from a store she has never heard of before. That one small habit, she says, has saved her more than once.
A Note from the Editor
I'm Nitesh Gupta, a digital marketing professional with more than 14 years of experience across search engine optimization, paid advertising, e-commerce operations, and online reputation management. Through my work reviewing digital ad networks, traffic patterns, and consumer touchpoints at The Scam Exposed, I have seen firsthand how often a polished looking ad or website is the first step in a scam, not a sign of a trustworthy seller.
The pattern described in this article, where a real tracking number gets attached to the wrong order, is one of the more convincing tricks out there because it uses a legitimate carrier's own system to create a false sense of confidence. My advice to readers, especially to older family members, is simple. Treat a tracking number as one small piece of evidence, not proof. Check the seller independently, use a credit card instead of a debit card, and when in doubt, ask someone you trust before you buy.
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