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Short answer: when you search for a company to make an online bill pay, the first result can be a paid ad for a site that has nothing to do with the company. The FTC says to scroll past paid results, or type the company’s web address straight into your browser. The advice comes from its Aug. 17 consumer alert.
How online bill pay impersonators work
The FTC says “dishonest companies sometimes use paid search ads” to trick you into paying them instead of the company or agency you’re looking for. You search for a payment site on Google or Bing. The top result looks official. It’s actually a paid text ad, and the link takes you to another company’s site.
Once you’re there, you may not realize the site has no relationship with the company you meant to pay. When it’s time to pay the bill, the FTC says, the site “may add additional fees you didn’t expect.”
The agency’s example is FTC v. Doxo, Inc. In the example, the top result looked like it belonged to a well-known lab company. The FTC’s complaint alleges Doxo misrepresented itself as an official payment channel for companies and agencies including Labcorp, AT&T and state toll authorities. We’re reporting only what the alert says, not the outcome of the case.
Red flags for online bill pay
| Red flag | What the FTC suggests |
|---|---|
| The top search result is a paid ad rather than the company’s own site | Scroll past the paid results |
| The site is not the company or agency you were looking for | Verify the website or contact information |
| Unexpected fees appear at checkout | Stop and check before paying |
| You know the company’s address | Type it directly into your browser |
Source: FTC consumer alert, Aug. 17, 2026. The “stop and check” wording in the third row is our paraphrase of the alert’s warning about unexpected fees.
A safer routine for online bill pay
Start from something you already trust, like the paper bill or the company’s address in your bookmarks. Many billers print a web address and a customer service number on the statement. Bookmark the payment page so you don’t have to search for it next month.
If you do search for online bill pay, look for the small label that marks a result as an ad, and skip it. Check the address in the browser bar before entering card details. A fee you didn’t see on the bill is a reason to leave the page.
If you already used the wrong site for online bill pay
Call your card issuer or bank, using the number on your card, and ask about disputing the charge. Then pay the real company directly, so late fees don’t stack up. Report the site at ReportFraud.ftc.gov. Our step-by-step guide covers the wider recovery, and how to spot a scam text covers messages that push you to pay.
Editor’s take
The lesson isn’t to avoid search. It’s to avoid starting online bill pay from a search box. A bookmark takes ten seconds to set up.
