Online Dress Scams Leave Buyers Shortchanged

A $66 evening gown advertised on YouTube arrived looking like an inexpensive T-shirt, highlighting the rise of deceptive online shopping sites.

Updated on Nov. 9, 2026 in Fashion

Vector-style editorial illustration of a coral evening gown collapsing into a plain T-shirt shape atop an open empty shipping box. — Eva Borho bought a $66 evening gown advertised on YouTube, but the dress that arrived looked like an inexpensive T-shirt, part of a rise in online purchase scams. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

Live Poll

Do you feel confident you can spot a fake online shopping site before paying?

Eva Borho bought a $66 evening gown advertised through a YouTube ad, but the dress she received looked like an inexpensive T-shirt. Her experience reflects a broader pattern of online purchase scams reported to the Better Business Bureau.

Why it matters

Online purchase scams accounted for about 30% of BBB Scam Tracker reports last year, and nearly nine in 10 people who reported one said they lost money. Artificial intelligence can now help create polished storefronts, product images and reviews in a fraction of the time, making fraudulent sites harder to spot.

Eva Borho paid $66 for an evening gown advertised on YouTube, and the return shipping to China was quoted at $40 or $50. The Better Business Bureau found online purchase scams made up about 30% of its Scam Tracker reports last year.

The players

Better Business Bureau

The Better Business Bureau is a nonprofit organization that tracks consumer complaints and publishes its Scam Tracker reports to warn the public about fraud.

Eva Borho

Eva Borho is the consumer who purchased the advertised evening gown and received an item that did not match the listing.

The details

The dress was promoted through a YouTube ad featuring a floral design, but the item Borho received bore little resemblance to it. The Paw Parent claims to operate from a Kansas City address, though other tenants at that location reportedly had not heard of the company, and some customers alleged unauthorized recurring charges after a single purchase.

Last year: BBB reports online purchase scams accounted for about 30% of Scam Tracker reports.

Industry Dynamics

The Better Business Bureau's Scam Tracker has documented online purchase scams as roughly 30% of its reports, a share that this fashion case reflects. Advances in generative tools now let fraudulent storefronts appear as credible as established retailers.

Shoppers should verify a seller's physical address and read reviews from sources outside the seller's own site before buying clothing from an ad. Checking card statements for recurring charges after any online purchase can help catch unauthorized billing early.

The takeaway

A quick check of a seller's address, reviews and return policy before purchasing can help reveal a fraudulent storefront. Reporting suspicious sites to the Better Business Bureau helps warn other shoppers.