If a deal seems too good to be true — 80 or 90 percent off a normally expensive item — it almost certainly is

If a deal seems too good to be true — 80 or 90 percent off a normally expensive item — it almost certainly is.

Fake shopping sites use stolen product images, bargain prices, and urgency ("limited time only!") to get people to enter their credit card information.

Stick to retailers you know, look for the padlock in the URL bar, and search for reviews of the site before buying.