One page, large print, free to copy. Want to check a store online instead? Use the Is This Website Legit? checker.
Before You Buy: Is This Store Legit?
Found a deal from a store you don’t know? Check these off first. If you can’t check most of them, don’t buy.
🔍 Check the store
- ☐ I typed the store’s name plus “scam” or “complaint” into Google or Bing, and read what I found.
- ☐ I checked the web address at aiseniors.app/tools/website-checker. The website name is not brand new.
- ☐ The price is close to what stores I know charge. (Brand names at very low prices can be fake or stolen.)
- ☐ I found a real phone number and street address, and I can reach a person.
- ☐ I read the return policy: how many days, who pays return shipping, any restocking fee.
- ☐ I know when it will ship. (If no date is given, the law says sellers have 30 days.)
- ☐ I read reviews on several different sites, not just the store’s own page.
- ☐ I did not get here from a pop-up, a surprise text, or a “today only” ad on social media.
💳 Pay safely
- ☐ Pay with a credit card. It gives you the most protection.
- ☐ Never pay a store with a gift card, wire transfer, payment app or cryptocurrency.
- ☐ Save the receipt, the order email, and the website address until the item arrives.
📦 If it never arrives or it’s fake
- Contact the seller and ask for a full refund (not store credit).
- Call your credit card company and dispute the charge. Do it quickly: you have 60 days from the first bill that shows it.
- Paid with a gift card? Call the company that sold the card right away.
- Report it at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.
My card company: ______________________ Family helper: ______________________
Free from aiseniors.app, copy and share freely. Based on FTC advice (consumer.ftc.gov/articles/online-shopping). A guide, not a guarantee.