PEACHTREE CITY, Ga. — Google search leads to $16K scheme, metro Atlanta family warns
A Peachtree City family is warning others after they say a fake website that appeared in Google Shopping results led to more than $16,000 in fraudulent charges on their credit card.
[DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]
Sophisticated scam websites are increasingly masquerading as well-known retailers and brands, using search-engine tactics that can place them near the top of online search results.
Nick Saunders told Channel 2 Action News he was searching online for a Barbie Dream House when he found what appeared to be a legitimate listing.
“Right into Google and you know it pops up at the top with all the shop options,” Saunders said.
He said the site looked like Wayfair and appeared to be offering the toy at a discount.
“It came up looking like Wayfair, so the background also had Wayfair with the purple letters on it. It showed that it was the dollhouse that she wanted, on sale,” Saunders said.
MORE FROM CHANNEL 2 INVESTIGATES:
- Georgia woman part of lawsuit claiming link between GLP-1 weight loss drugs and blindness
- Mother says man tied to pet cremation investigation also failed to provide daughter’s headstone
- Bankrupt Aliera health plan to pay settlement after leaving customers with huge medical debts
Saunders said he entered his credit card information before realizing something seemed off.
Only afterward did he notice the website address did not look legitimate.
“I tried backing out, the page seemed to be frozen, so I just went ahead and closed the entire page at that time,” Saunders said.
Nothing happened immediately.
Then, about two weeks later, Saunders said fraudulent charges began appearing on his credit card account.
“I immediately saw that there were nine separate transactions. All the transactions were for $1,871,” he said.
The charges totaled more than $16,000.
Channel 2 consumer adviser Clark Howard said scammers are increasingly using artificial intelligence and search engine manipulation to make fake sites appear legitimate.
“Search results are a disaster,” Howard said.
“Most of the initial results you see are going to be fake,” he added.
[SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]
The Saunders family said Wells Fargo initially denied their fraud claims.
“That’s a lot of money. It’s a lot of money. And we were panicked,” said Josie Saunders.
After Channel 2 Action News contacted the bank, the fraudulent charges were ultimately cleared.
The Saunders said they want others to learn from their experience.
In fact, Josie Saunders’ mother landed on a fake website posing as skincare brand The Ordinary on the same day as the interview.
“She ended up at the Oran Diary, and only because this happened to you did she catch it,” Channel 2 consumer investigator Justin Gray said.
“And it was only because of our situation that she looked that hard at the URL, noticed it was misspelled and noticed it was dot-shop instead of dot-com,” Nick Saunders said.
In a statement to Channel 2 Action News, Wells Fargo said, “We’re pleased we were able to work with the customer to resolve the situation.”
Howard recommends double-checking website addresses before entering personal or financial information online. Shoppers should not assume a website is legitimate simply because it appears at the top of search results and should carefully review URLs for misspellings, unusual domain names and other warning signs.
©2026 Cox Media Group
