As the last models sashay from the catwalk, another fashion week has wrapped. This industry showcase was focused on presenting collections, which will be on sale from Spring 2027, to a select cohort of fashion press, influencers and celebrities, but it will also inspire wishlists for style-savvy shoppers.
If you’re among those keen to get your hands on the most coveted styles first, a word of warning – don’t let your passion for fashion leave you prey to scammers. Beyond the glamour and glitz of the runway, unscrupulous operators are targeting fashion fans desperate to secure the latest limited edition drops and most-hyped trends.
Over the 25 years I’ve spent in the fashion industry, I’ve seen scams become increasingly sophisticated. Whereas the risk used to revolve around bad fakes of famous designer items, now criminals are creating ever more elaborate hoaxes involving more niche merchandise, designed to reel in a younger, more discerning audience. Younger shoppers are targeted with streetwear and hype pieces and, inevitably, some fall for the fraud. The Global Anti-Scam Alliance reported last November that 67% of UK adults surveyed had come across a scam in the previous year. Nearly half of these were shopping related.
Scammers prey on our desire to get the newness now, but you can stay one step ahead of the fraudsters and remain stylishly un-scammed by adopting a range of strategies.
Fashion scams revolve around nonexistent items or cheap dupes advertised via online marketplaces or fake retail websites. The scammers ramp up desirability by convincing shoppers their deals are for a limited time only, hyping scarcity and playing up rareness to pressure buyers into acting fast and handing over their money before they have time to think.
The cachet of catching a rare item first is amplified by the way legitimate fashion brands offer limited edition drops, fresh from the runway. But these deals are occasional. Hard as it is to say no, if an offer feels off, or your gut is telling you something is too good to be true – for example the sudden offer of a fantastic deal on a viral shirt – we suggest you close the tab and move on.
Scammers build incredibly slick websites, stealing pictures of authentic items, and describing items using the type of language found in bona fide advertising copy and social media content so at first sight everything looks legit. But if you part with your cash, you’ll likely receive a cheap dupe or nothing at all.
One type of fraud is where scammers create UK sounding websites that are actually operated from far-off locations. If an item actually arrives it will be nothing like the online photos, and you’ll then discover that the cost of sending it back is more than you spent on the item itself. Searching for independent reviews before purchasing can help you spot these operations, as can checking the small print for far-off addresses. A useful trick is to run image searches on product photos. If an item appears on countless random sites across the internet, alarm bells should ring.
Another type of fraud that’s catching out even the savviest of shoppers is faked websites mimicking well-known brands. Stay alert for social media messages or pop up ads sharing amazingly priced pieces – quite likely ones you’ve recently searched for. Clicking on the link could land you on one of these fake sites. At first glance they look genuine but there will be giveaways such as links to terms and conditions that don’t work or wording that contains a completely different company name because text has been cut and pasted as the scammers quickly create websites.
Strange characters in the url or extra words are another easy thing to look out for. Open a new tab and search for the actual brand – the real url will often be quite simple with little more than the brand’s name. A fashion industry friend happily handed over her money for a viral pair of shoes because she was so caught up in the desire to secure the designer style of the moment. It turned out that the website address had a hyphen missing from the company name. A pair of shoes did arrive weeks later – smelling of glue with a wonky heel.
Don’t be taken in by a padlock icon or https:// at the start of the url as this only means that the connection between your device and the site is encrypted. It does not prove the site is safe or legitimate – scammers routinely use free SSL certificates.
One of the most important ways to protect your money is to use a trusted payment provider. Companies such as Visa have sophisticated anti-fraud systems in place and if you find you’ve been scammed you may be able to recover your money. Rob Cameron, group country manager, UK & Ireland, at Visa, says: “Today’s scams don’t always look like scams. As fraudsters use increasingly sophisticated technology to target consumers, Visa continues to invest in advanced fraud prevention, AI and cybersecurity capabilities to help stay ahead of emerging threats. And while prevention remains the priority, if someone does fall victim to a scam, Visa has a well established, industry recognised resolution framework built to protect consumers, and help put things right.”
On resale platforms, scammers are busy too, posting stolen imagery of real fashion items to tempt shoppers to buy. Younger generations seem particularly at risk. Government figures show that 45% of 18–24 year olds encountered counterfeit designer items on resale platforms last year, compared with 23% of those aged 55–64. A big red flag is if sellers want to use custom postage rather than a platform’s automated version, as you won’t get any tracking. Another danger signal is buyers pressuring you to complete your purchase off platform or to switch to alternative methods of payment. Never be tempted as you’ll lose many of the protections that platforms provide.
Beyond the hottest streetwear and high fashion styles, vintage fashion is becoming a bigger risk as consumers search for sustainable and unique pieces that reflect their personal style. Resale platforms list coveted styles described as authentically vintage, with a price tag to match, such as the charming strawberry brooch I fell for (which turned out to be cheap tat from a fast fashion site). The only consolation is that I know I’m not alone in falling for such cons.
Fashion should be fun and offers a quick way to define your style, but when it comes to shopping, if it’s too good to be true, trust your intuition.
Find out more about the ways Visa can help protect you from retail fraud
