Student learning · Grades 9–12, Higher Ed · 55 minutes
Cart Check: Shopping and Money Scams Online
Before they tap "Buy," students check the storefront, the deal, the reviews, and the payment method, and they practice exactly what to do if a purchase goes wrong.
Online shopping scams rarely look like scams anymore. A fake storefront can have a polished design, a countdown timer, and hundreds of glowing reviews that an AI tool wrote in minutes. In this activity, students examine a mock storefront, sort real-looking shopping situations into Buy, Walk Away, or Check First, and build a four-part Cart Check: the store, the deal, the reviews, and the payment. They also weigh buy-now-pay-later plans honestly and rehearse the steps to take if they are scammed, because knowing what to do fast matters as much as avoiding the trap.
In this packet
- Handout A: The Kicks Vault Storefront (reading)
- Handout B: Buy, Walk Away, or Check First? (card sort)
- Handout C: My Cart Check and Scam Response Plan (worksheet)
- Facilitator key (last page)
TCEA ELE indicators
- S2.1 I know how to protect my personal information online.
- S5.1 I know how to approach complex problems systematically.
- AI4.1 I know how to promote critical thinking skills in relation to AI-generated information.
- S2.2 I can identify trustworthy sources of information on the internet.
Full facilitator guide: mglearn.github.io/eles/activities/cart-check.html
Handout A for Cart Check: Shopping and Money Scams Online
The Kicks Vault Storefront
This store is fictional. Highlight trust-builders in yellow and doubt-raisers in pink. Check the address, contact and returns, reviews, and payment.
1Web address: kicksvault-officiall-outlet.shop. Banner: "LIMITED DROP: Premium sneakers 80% OFF. Only 3 pairs left! Offer ends in 09:59." A countdown timer ticks at the top of every page.
2Featured item: Stratos Runner Elite, usually $220, now $39.99. "100% authentic, straight from the factory. Free shipping worldwide." The product photos have different backgrounds and lighting, and one still shows another store's watermark in the corner.
3About us: "Kicks Vault is a passionate team dedicated to bringing you the best quality at the best price. Customer satisfaction is our top priority." There is no street address, no phone number, and no company name. The only contact is a web form.
4Returns: "All sales final on discounted items. Returns accepted within 7 days for store credit only, after approval."
5Reviews (1,284 reviews, 5.0 stars): "Amazing product!! Fast shipping and great quality, will buy again!" (Posted 3 days ago) · "I love this product so much, it exceeded all my expectations. Highly recommend this store to everyone!" (Posted 3 days ago) · "Great quality product at an unbeatable price. The customer service was excellent and very helpful!" (Posted 4 days ago) · "Absolutely perfect, just as described, five stars, thank you Kicks Vault!" (Posted 4 days ago)
6Checkout: "To keep prices low, we accept: gift cards (enter card numbers below), wire transfer, or send payment through a payment app directly to our store manager, Kevin." The checkout page address begins with "http" rather than "https," and the browser shows a "Not secure" warning.
7Search results slip (for the unplugged lateral check): A search for "Kicks Vault outlet" turns up no news coverage or business listing. A consumer forum thread from last week titled "Kicks Vault never shipped my order" has several replies saying the same thing, and the store's web address was registered last month.
Handout B for Cart Check: Shopping and Money Scams Online
Buy, Walk Away, or Check First?
Cut apart the strips. Place each on the mat, and name which part of the Cart Check decided it: store, deal, reviews, or payment.
Buy
Walk Away
Check First
Handout B for Cart Check: Shopping and Money Scams Online
Buy, Walk Away, or Check First?: cards to sort
Cut apart the strips. Sort each one onto the mat and be ready to explain why.
1. A seller on a local marketplace app says your concert tickets are ready, but you must pay with three $50 gift cards and send photos of the card numbers.
2. You type the address of a well-known bookstore chain yourself, the checkout page shows https, and you pay with a credit card. The price is a normal sale price.
3. A text says your package from ParcelPoint couldn't be delivered and asks you to tap a link and pay a $1.99 redelivery fee.
4. A gaming headset listed at 90% off on a site you've never heard of, with a timer and only one payment option: cryptocurrency.
5. A small online shop has 40 reviews spread across two years, some four stars and some three, with photos and complaints about slow shipping. It lists a street address and phone number.
6. A new shop has 900 five-star reviews, all posted this week, all with nearly the same wording and none mentioning what was bought.
7. An influencer you follow posts a discount code for a skincare brand. The post is tagged #ad and links to the brand's own site.
8. A "seller" on a resale app asks you to move the conversation to a private messaging app and pay outside the platform to "avoid fees."
9. A pop-up says you've won a free phone and need to pay only $4.95 shipping with your card number.
10. An email that looks like it's from your favorite clothing store offers 30% off, but the sender address is a string of random letters.
11. At checkout, a store offers to split a $240 order into four payments of $60 every two weeks. You already have two other pay-later plans going.
12. A classmate shares a link to a site selling last year's calculator model at a normal used price. The site has a real business address, a clear return policy, and secure checkout.
Handout C for Cart Check: Shopping and Money Scams Online
My Cart Check and Scam Response Plan
Keep this plan. Don't write real card numbers, passwords, or account details anywhere on it.
The four-part Cart Check in my own words. One question for each: Store · Deal · Reviews · Payment.
Three signs that reviews may be AI-generated or paid, and what I'll check instead:
Payment basics: what I look for at checkout, and the payment methods I'll never use with a stranger (and why):
Buy now, pay later. What it makes easier / What it can cost / What I'd check before saying yes:
If I'm scammed, my steps in order (stop paying, contact my bank or card issuer through a trusted route, change passwords, save evidence, report it, tell a trusted adult, watch my accounts). The first sentence I'd say when I call:
The one part of the Cart Check I'll do every time, even in a hurry, and why:
Facilitator only for Cart Check: Shopping and Money Scams Online
Answer key and notes
Handout B: Buy, Walk Away, or Check First?
| Item | Sort | Why |
|---|---|---|
| 1. A seller on a local marketplace app says your concert tickets are ready, but you must pay with three $50 gift cards and send photos of the card numbers. | Walk Away | Payment: no legitimate seller demands gift cards. Photos of the card numbers are the same as handing over cash. |
| 2. You type the address of a well-known bookstore chain yourself, the checkout page shows https, and you pay with a credit card. The price is a normal sale price. | Buy | Store, deal, and payment all check out: known store reached by a route you trust, realistic price, secure checkout. |
| 3. A text says your package from ParcelPoint couldn't be delivered and asks you to tap a link and pay a $1.99 redelivery fee. | Check First | Store: don't use the link. Open the carrier's real app or type its address yourself to check the tracking number. |
| 4. A gaming headset listed at 90% off on a site you've never heard of, with a timer and only one payment option: cryptocurrency. | Walk Away | Deal and payment: an extreme discount plus a pressure timer plus a hard-to-reverse payment is a classic scam pattern. |
| 5. A small online shop has 40 reviews spread across two years, some four stars and some three, with photos and complaints about slow shipping. It lists a street address and phone number. | Buy | Reviews: mixed ratings over time with specific details look like real customers. Store: contact information you can verify. |
| 6. A new shop has 900 five-star reviews, all posted this week, all with nearly the same wording and none mentioning what was bought. | Walk Away | Reviews: identical tone, same week, and no specifics are signs of generated or paid reviews. Search the store elsewhere before any purchase. |
| 7. An influencer you follow posts a discount code for a skincare brand. The post is tagged #ad and links to the brand's own site. | Check First | Store and deal: a paid ad isn't a scam by itself, but search the brand's reputation and return policy before buying. |
| 8. A "seller" on a resale app asks you to move the conversation to a private messaging app and pay outside the platform to "avoid fees." | Walk Away | Payment: leaving the platform removes its buyer protection. Pay only inside the app. |
| 9. A pop-up says you've won a free phone and need to pay only $4.95 shipping with your card number. | Walk Away | Deal: a prize you never entered is bait. Small fees are often used to collect card numbers for bigger charges. |
| 10. An email that looks like it's from your favorite clothing store offers 30% off, but the sender address is a string of random letters. | Check First | Store: the offer might be real. Type the store's address yourself or open its app to see if the sale exists. |
| 11. At checkout, a store offers to split a $240 order into four payments of $60 every two weeks. You already have two other pay-later plans going. | Check First | Payment: read the terms for late fees and automatic payments, and add up everything you already owe before saying yes. |
| 12. A classmate shares a link to a site selling last year's calculator model at a normal used price. The site has a real business address, a clear return policy, and secure checkout. | Buy | All four checks pass. Legitimate deals exist; the Cart Check helps you trust them for good reasons. |