With TikTok Shop becoming a go-to place for everything from skincare to home gadgets, it’s easy to get swept up in the hype – especially during livestreams where deals feel like they’re slipping away by the second. But after a recent TikTok furniture scam left at least 30 shoppers out of pocket, it’s clear that even shops with physical stores and real products aren’t always safe bets.
To help you shop safer and smarter, here’s a guide on how to verify TikTok livestream sellers and spot fake listings before you press add to cart.
Table of Contents
Image credit: TikTok Shop
There’s a good chance that you’ve used TikTok LIVE, the popular livestreaming platform for creators to do anything, from gaming and performing to promoting their shops and products. The ones selling stuff will usually have a Buy button from TikTok Shop on the screen, making transactions so seamless that your wallet barely feels the pinch.
While the reliability of buying from TikTok livestream sellers can sometimes be a hit or a miss, it gets even riskier when shops request payments outside of TikTok, where there’s little protection in place for you.
A raw jade stones livestreaming scam in 2023 that led to losses amounting to at least $95,000.
Image adapted from: Singapore Police Force
TikTok livestreamers use addictive content and time-bound Live Exclusive discounts to pressure consumers into snatching up items without further thought. This creates the perfect breeding ground for scammers, who may send consumers a counterfeit item, a totally different product, or nothing at all.
These scams work by manipulating consumers with stolen live footage, product images from other shops, or even AI-generated media that seems realistic enough to trust. And even if you have yet to make a purchase, some shops may require you to make a “refundable deposit” first for big purchases, before disappearing on you without a trace.
In order to combat these scams, TikTok has rolled out some badges to help users identify reliable shops. The “Official Shop” badge means the shop is the exclusive authorised seller for its brands, while TikTok Shop Mall flags shops verified to sell on TikTok Shop Mall, where the higher-quality curated brands are. Of course, some scammers will pretend to be official brand retailers, so do cross-check with the brand before putting down any orders.
Additionally, shops with an “Authorised Seller” badge are permitted to retail certain brands, and “Top Brand” and “Star Seller” badges are given based on good shop performance and reviews.
Example of a legitimate shop.
Screenshot from: TikTok Shop
But besides those certifications, you should also check if the shop has a proper name, picture, and complete profile – the bare minimum for legitimate businesses. And if the shop exists outside of TikTok through a website, Instagram page, or other platforms, it’s more likely to be genuine.
Screenshot from: TikTok
Looks can be deceiving, and it’s getting harder and harder to tell what is real and fake in this digital age. But if you’d like to recognise fraudulent listings easily, quality is often the biggest factor to look at. Many scammers will put up grainy or blurry screenshots of products from other businesses, and when combined with a lack of product descriptions, can be suspicious, to say the least.
Scammers can use AI to generate fake product images or to swap faces during livestreams.
Image credit: Gihun Lim & Mihui Kim via MDPI
And even when the images on a listing may seem original, watch out for an overly smooth or saturated quality, for they could be AI-generated. With the advancements of artificial intelligence software such as Deepfake, scammers can now host livestreams with AI-altered faces to impersonate celebrities and boost sales.
Having a website outside of TikTok is not a guarantee of authenticity, either – fake sites could bombard you with extreme discounts while having low-quality images, grammatical errors, incomplete contact details, and no proper address to trace back to.
Screenshot from: TikTok Shop
If a shop is not trustworthy, it will often be reflected in its reviews. Try to avoid shops with no rating or a rating of less than 4 out of 5 stars, and make sure to scroll through their product reviews before making a purchase. You can look at reviews with images to check if what you’ll be getting matches the listing.
Even so, all these can easily be faked, so take note of reviews that seem fabricated with repetitive and vague phrases like “Great product!” and “Love it!” Remember to always check the poorest ratings for an honest assessment of the shop, and see if any issues keep popping up.
Apart from reviews on TikTok itself, you can also search the shop’s name and product on forums like Reddit to see if others have had bad experiences. Often, buyers will flag scam websites on forum threads to warn others.
TikTok livestream sellers should always have their products linked to TikTok Shop so that transactions stay inside the app, where you retain your buyer protection. Never entertain livestreamers that try to get you to pay via PayNow, bank transfer, or external links – it’s against TikTok rules, and you’ll have a much harder time getting your money back if things go wrong.
To stay safe, stick to in-app transactions only, and we recommend paying with a credit card instead of a debit card for an extra layer of fraud protection, as money will not be deducted directly from your bank account immediately. And whatever you do, don’t click random links dropped in the livestream chat, even if the seller claims it’s faster or cheaper that way.
The 1-star reviews on a cheap smartphone listing.
Image adapted from: TikTok Shop
If a branded item is suddenly going for 90% off on TikTok LIVE, something is most likely off. Scammers often bait buyers with low prices and huge discounts to make you check out quickly without thinking.
One quick inspection you can do is to grab a screenshot of the product and run it through a reverse image search programme like Google Lens (App Store | Google Play) – it’ll show you where the images originated and what the product actually costs elsewhere. If there’s a big gap in the numbers, it’s best to skip the deal.
And if you’d like more details about your product, it’s always good to ask the seller directly. A legitimate seller should have the product on hand, so go ahead and message them with questions like:
While a legitimate seller should be able to provide these details, a scammer often wouldn’t – so don’t make a purchase unless you have all your questions answered.
Image credit: Jurong-Clementi Town Council
If something still feels off, maybe it’s time to turn to the experts. The 24/7 ScamShield Helpline can quickly check if a seller seems suspicious or has been reported for scamming before.
It’s also worth downloading the ScamShield app (App Store | Google Play), which automatically blocks known scam numbers and can analyse suspicious links and messages. If you want to go full detective mode, the Anti-Scam Resource Guide breaks down common tactics so you’ll know exactly what to avoid.
If you’ve made a purchase through TikTok Shop and received a different or faulty item, or nothing at all, you might have been scammed. Just go to your Orders page and request a return or refund, then report the seller, and there’s a good chance that you can get your money back.
But if you paid outside of TikTok Shop, there are unfortunately not many protections in place for you. You’ll need to contact your bank or card issuer ASAP, gather any and all evidence, such as chat messages and order receipts, report the seller to TikTok, and then file a police report. The faster you act, the better your chances of recouping your losses – your report will help prevent future buyers from becoming victims too.
Shopping can be addictive, but think of TikTok LIVE and TikTok Shop like a digital pasar malam: it’s fun to browse, full of surprises, but all purchases must be made with caution, especially if they are big. Therefore, it’s always good to take your time, ask questions, and never feel pressured by flash sales or countdown timers. Your wallet and sanity will thank you later.
More scam-related reads:
Cover image adapted from: TikTok
Better safe than sorry.
Work smarter, not harder.
There are ways you can overcome job hugging.
As if we need another reason to visit the mall.
Your 2025 recap.
Here are all the best things to do this weekend in Singapore.