Festive Sale Scams 2026: How to Spot Fake Deals, Fake Sites and Fake Customer Care Before You Pay

• Open shopping apps and sites yourself. Don't click links in SMS, WhatsApp or social-media ads.
• Never share an OTP, UPI PIN, card CVV or password, with anyone, for any reason.
• You never need to scan a QR code or enter your UPI PIN to receive money. A PIN is only for sending.
• Use customer-care contacts only from the official app or website.
• If you are cheated, call 1930 at once and report at cybercrime.gov.in.

The five most common festive tricks

1. Lookalike websites. Scammers build sites that copy a real store's design, with web addresses that differ by one letter, an extra word or a spelling change. They advertise them with huge discounts on social media. You pay, and nothing arrives.

2. Fake delivery messages. A text says your parcel is "on hold" and asks you to pay a small fee or update your address through a link. The page steals your card or bank details. Always check the order status inside the shopping app instead.

3. Fake customer care. You search online for a company's helpline and find a number planted by fraudsters. They ask for an OTP "to process your refund", or tell you to install a screen-sharing app, and then empty your account.

4. "Scan to receive" QR codes. You are selling something, or expecting a refund or cashback, and someone sends you a QR code to "receive" the money. Scanning it and entering your PIN actually sends money from your account.

5. Festival-themed traps. Moneylife reported posts in Ahmedabad and elsewhere in Gujarat offering a "rent a garba partner" service for Navratri, where people are asked to pay a booking fee in advance. The Ahmedabad cybercrime cell has warned people not to pay unknown profiles. Similar traps include fake hotel bookings, holiday packages and pilgrimage tours. The Indian Cybercrime Coordination Centre (I4C) has flagged booking frauds targeting tourists and pilgrims.

Why scams look so convincing now

AI tools make it easy to produce professional-looking websites, product photos and even fake reviews in minutes. Scammers also use urgency: countdown timers, "only 2 left" banners, and "offer ends in 10 minutes" messages are designed to stop you from thinking. Our explainer on deepfakes and AI scams covers how AI is changing fraud.

Ten checks before you pay

1. Check the web address carefully, letter by letter.
2. Ignore countdown pressure. A genuine deal will not vanish in two minutes.
3. Check the seller on marketplaces: ratings, history and reviews. Be wary of new sellers with very cheap prices on expensive items.
4. Read the return and refund policy before paying, and take screenshots of the product page and your order.
5. Pay through the app's own checkout, not by transferring money to a personal UPI ID.
6. Check the name and amount on every UPI request before you approve it.
7. Avoid public Wi-Fi for payments. Use your mobile data.
8. Don't install apps from links or outside official app stores, especially ones promising extra coupons.
9. Never give remote access to your phone or computer to anyone who calls you.
10. Keep a low limit on the card or UPI account you use for online shopping.

What to do if you are cheated

Act fast. The first hour matters, because banks can sometimes freeze money before it is withdrawn.

1. Call 1930, the national cybercrime helpline, immediately.
2. Call your bank to block your card or UPI and report the transaction.
3. File a complaint at cybercrime.gov.in, the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal. You can also report suspicious websites, phone numbers and social-media accounts there.
4. Keep evidence: screenshots, messages, transaction IDs, phone numbers and website addresses.
5. For suspicious calls or messages where no money was lost, report them on the Chakshu service on the government's Sanchar Saathi portal.

Teach the family

Older relatives and teenagers are frequent targets. Share three simple rules with everyone at home: don't click, don't share codes, don't hurry. A two-minute family chat could save lakhs.

For safe ways to pay for big purchases, read our explainer on how no-cost EMI really works.

Related reading

• Deepfakes and AI Scams: How to Recognise What Is Real
• Is 'No-Cost EMI' Really Free?
• UPI Charges for Merchants Deferred Until After Diwali