Social Media Shop Scams on Pinterest
Pinterest's product discovery ecosystem is exploited by fraudulent shops that pin deceptive product imagery linking to stores that fail to deliver goods as advertised.
Part of: Social Media Shop Scams
Last reviewed: 1 June 2026
Pinterest occupies a unique position in the social commerce landscape: users arrive with purchase intent, having searched for specific products or ideas. This makes the platform's audience particularly valuable to fraudulent stores, which can intercept buyers at the moment of highest purchase motivation.
Pinterest's external-link model — pins must direct to an external website — means the fraud happens off-platform, limiting the platform's ability to protect buyers once they click through.
How this scam works on Pinterest
Fraudulent shop operators create Pinterest accounts and populate boards with attractive product pins. These are tagged with popular keywords to appear in organic product searches. Each pin links to an external fraudulent store.
The store is designed to look legitimate, with product ranges, pricing, and a checkout process. After purchasing, buyers find items are not delivered, arrive as cheap substitutes, or the store becomes unreachable. Pinterest accounts may be abandoned after a selling period, leaving no avenue for resolution through the platform.
Some fraudulent operations also submit products to Pinterest's shopping catalogue, giving pins a commercial product listing appearance that increases buyer confidence.
Common red flags
- Pinterest account consists entirely of product pins with no personal or lifestyle content
- All pins link to the same unfamiliar external website
- External store has no independent reviews, business address, or established online presence
- Product prices are below market rate without a credible explanation
- No clear returns policy or customer service contact on the linked store
- Domain registration for the linked website is very recent
How to protect yourself
- Research any unfamiliar store linked from Pinterest before completing a purchase
- Check for reviews on independent consumer forums or review platforms
- Verify the store's returns policy, business address, and contact information
- Use a credit card or payment method with purchase protection
- Save the product listing and all order confirmation details
How to report it
- Report fraudulent pins to Pinterest using the three-dot menu on the pin
- File a dispute with your payment provider if an order is not fulfilled
- Submit a complaint to your national consumer protection authority
Frequently asked questions
Does Pinterest verify the legitimacy of stores linked in pins?
Pinterest has policies against fraudulent content but cannot pre-screen every external link. Always independently verify any store before purchasing, regardless of how attractive or professionally designed the product pin appears.