Holiday Shoppers Told to Watch Out as Fake Gemmy Sites Pop Up — What to Know Before You Buy

A clear warning: fake store pages are targeting holiday decor buyers

Gemmy, the maker of animated holiday decorations, has warned customers that a number of fraudulent websites are pretending to be its online stores. The impostor pages are aimed at people buying inflatables, light displays and yard figures for the season. According to the company, these fake sites are often designed to look authentic and at times request payment or personal details in ways that can leave buyers out of pocket or open to identity theft.

The basic takeaway for shoppers is simple and immediate: don’t rush. If a page asks you to hand over money, card details, or personal data and it looks even slightly off, stop and double-check before you click pay. Scammers depend on hurried buyers who assume a link or ad leads to a trusted store.

How the copycat pages work: the tricks, the signs and the risks

These fake storefronts use a handful of familiar tactics. They copy logos, product photos and descriptive text so the page looks right at a glance. They lean on look‑alike web addresses — often adding an extra word, a hyphen or a different domain ending (for example, .shop or .store) — so a quick glance at the URL won’t always give the game away.

Other red flags include extremely low prices, big “limited time” warnings, pages that require payment before showing delivery or warranty details, and checkout flows that push wire transfers, prepaid cards or third‑party payment methods instead of standard card processors. Some fake sites ask for a lot of personal information up front, such as social security numbers or copies of ID, which reputable retailers do not require.

The risks to shoppers range from losing money on a product that never arrives to having a credit card compromised or personal data used for identity theft. Even when products are shipped, they may be counterfeit or not match the description.

What Gemmy is saying and the steps the company recommends

Gemmy has told customers in a public notice that its official website never requires payment information through pop‑ups, unsolicited emails, or third‑party pages. The company says its branded online stores and approved retail partners are the only legitimate places to buy products bearing its name.

Gemmy advises anyone who suspects they have encountered a fake site to stop any payment attempts immediately and to contact the company through the contact information listed on its official site. The company also encourages customers to save screenshots and receipts when they encounter a suspicious page, and to report the incident so the firm can work to take the fraudulent pages down.

Practical steps you can use right now to shop more safely

Some simple checks will catch most scams. First, type the retailer’s name into your browser instead of clicking an ad. Look carefully at the web address — small spelling changes or extra words are red flags. Check for a secure connection (the padlock icon in the browser), but don’t rely on that alone; many fakes use valid security certificates.

Avoid paying by wire transfer, money transfer service, or prepaid gift card. Use a credit card where possible — card companies give stronger fraud protection and the ability to dispute charges. If a site pushes you toward unusual payment methods, walk away.

Other quick steps: read the return and shipping policy, check for a physical address and phone number, scan the page for poor grammar or low‑quality photos, and search for independent reviews of the seller. Turn on two‑factor authentication for accounts tied to shopping, and enable purchase alerts from your bank so you spot unexpected charges fast.

Why this happens more at holiday time and what it tells us

Scammers increase their activity around holidays because people are shopping more, budgets are stretched, and fast decisions become common. Fake storefronts and impersonation schemes have been common across many retail categories — not just holiday decor — and fraudsters have grown more skilled at mimicking brand sites and ads on social media and search platforms.

For retailers, these scams are a reputational hazard. For shoppers, the trend means extra vigilance is needed whenever a purchase feels rushed or unusually cheap. Attackers often combine social engineering with technical tricks to harvest money or data, and they can move quickly to new domains when pages are reported.

Who to contact if you hit a fake site and where to get help

If you think you’ve found an impostor page, start by preserving evidence: take screenshots of the site, the URL, and any confirmation or payment pages. Contact Gemmy through the contact points listed on its official website to report the page. If you already paid, contact your bank or credit‑card company immediately to dispute the charge and ask about a reversal.

You can also report fraud to consumer protection agencies (for example, the national consumer protection body or, in the U.S., the Federal Trade Commission) and to your state attorney general. Report phishing or scam emails to your email provider and report fake ads or listings to the platform where you saw them. Keep records of all communications so you have documentation if you need to escalate.

Above all, a moment of caution before you enter payment details is the simplest and most effective defense this season.

Photo: Karola G / Pexels

Sources

• prnewswire.com