VPNs May Become a Problem for Bargain Hunters
February 7, 2025
Do you love online shopping? What am I talking about, you’re on the Internet, so, of course, you do. If you’re in the mood to shop and you use a VPN, I have some bad news to you via PC Mag: “Holiday Shopping? These Sites May Block VPN Users, Cancel Purchases.” The holiday season is over and everyone is recovering from their credit card bills, but that doesn’t stop you from buying groceries and other essentials online.
Valentine’s Day is almost upon us. Will VPN blocking kill Cupid’s ardor for clicking?
What else are you going to do during a snowy day? Your beloved VPN that protects your IP and allows you to watch shows unavailable on Netflix, Hulu, and other streaming Web sites could prevent you from buying more stuff.
Why?
Kate Irwin investigated this issue when she was in the market for a new laptop case. She purchased one over her VPN using her Proton Mail account from Corsair. Proton Mail allows users to have an alias, which is what Irwin used during her first attempt. The order was canceled. She used her real account, but her order was canceled a second and third time. Her attempts ended with:
"Corsair may be blocking VPNs because scammers use them when attempting credit card fraud. They might also cancel orders that don’t get text confirmations from the buyer (though using text verification isn’t all that secure because of SIM-swapping attacks). Corsair also said in its automated email that trying to send an order to a shipping company’s address could get it cancelled, but I hadn’t done that (and I reached out to Corsair for comment).”
Amazon, eBay, and other popular Web sites might be blocking VPNs. Many of these Web sites don’t prohibit using a VPN, but they block them because of security reasons. Bad actors use multiple accounts and VPNS to engage in fraudulent activity, such as scams, fake listings, and fake purchases.
The VPNs are blocked because you’re using a “dirty” IP. There are a limited number of IPs and the one you’ve selected is tied to malicious activities. You can get around the issue with a dedicated IP, using an IP within your country, or turn it on and off while you’re shopping. That’s probably the easiest method.
VPNs may be viewed as a problem which must be solved by a mysterious online intermediary blocking and filtering to make life better for shoppers everywhere. And the merchants? Oh, the merchants will benefit too.
Whitney Grace, February 7, 2025
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