Seven Security Products Earn Fake-Shop Certification
AV-Comparatives' 2026 test found seven consumer security products reliably warn users about fraudulent online stores.
Updated on Nov. 6, 2026 in Cybersecurity
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AV-Comparatives published its Fake-Shop Detection Test 2026, certifying seven consumer security products that detect at least 80% of fake shops without false alarms. The products were tested against 500 fake-shop URLs and 100 legitimate shopping websites from Oct. 1 to 7, 2026.
Why it matters
Fake online stores are proliferating quickly and often vanish within days, making them hard to block in advance. Familiar warning signs such as spelling mistakes or poor design are becoming less reliable, so software that analyzes sites in real time offers an added layer of protection for shoppers worldwide.
The certification is based on a test of 500 randomly selected fake-shop URLs still online during testing, checked against 100 legitimate websites for false alarms. Products had to detect at least 80% of fake shops without any false alarm to earn certification, and the extraction does not report how far above that threshold each product performed.
The players
AV-Comparatives
An independent Innsbruck, Austria-based testing organization that evaluates security software and publishes certification results for consumers and industry.
Savi Security
A United States-based company whose Scamwise service tracks and reports newly emerging fake online stores during peak shopping periods.
The details
The certified products are Avast Premium Security, Bitdefender Total Security, F-Secure Internet Security, Kaspersky Premium, NordVPN Next-gen antivirus, Norton 360 Deluxe and Norton VPN Ultimate. The software analyzes websites as they are visited and warns users before they enter payment details.
Timeline
Oct. 1 to 7, 2026: AV-Comparatives conducted product testing against fake-shop URLs.
Oct. 20, 2026: Savi Security published its 2026 Holiday Shopping Scam Report.
Nov. 6, 2026: AV-Comparatives published Fake-Shop Detection Test 2026 results.
Nov. 27, 2026: Black Friday, the shopping date the test was published ahead of.
The Tech Race
Scamwise reports a new fake store roughly every three minutes, and holiday-themed fake stores grew fivefold within 60 days, while 85% vanish within two weeks. Security vendors are now competing on how quickly their software can flag sites that may disappear before traditional blocklists catch up.
Shoppers hunting for holiday deals can consider using one of the certified security products, which warn before payment details are entered on a suspicious site. Because fake stores often disappear within days, checking unfamiliar sites before buying remains important even with protective software installed.
The takeaway
Familiar warning signs like spelling mistakes are becoming less reliable, so shoppers should combine security software with a habit of verifying unfamiliar stores before entering payment information. Holiday shoppers are especially exposed given the rapid growth in fake store activity.
Further reading
Explore more on Cybersecurity to see how online fraud protections are evolving.
More information
Read the full fake-shop detection test results and product reports from AV-Comparatives.
Source note: This article includes information reported by The Manila times.
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Do you plan to use security software while shopping online this holiday season?
