1 in 3 Americans has been hit by an online shopping scam — are you next?
A recent study from the Pew Research Center puts a number on something many of us have suspected: online shopping scams are not rare. According to the data, about a third of Americans say they’ve had an online shopping scam happen to them. That is a large enough share to make the problem feel less like a remote possibility and more like an ordinary risk of buying things on the internet.
The timing matters. With holiday shopping coming up and more people turning to their phones for purchases, the opportunity for scammers to strike only grows. Understanding what these scams look like and how to avoid them is worth a few minutes of anyone’s time.
What happened
Pew’s report, published in November 2025, surveyed adults across the United States and found that roughly one in three had personally experienced an online shopping scam. The study did not define “scam” narrowly, but it covers situations in which a consumer paid for an item that never arrived, received something much different than advertised, or had their payment information stolen through a fake store or listing.
Earlier Pew research adds more context. A separate 2024 report found that a majority of TikTok users in the U.S. turn to the platform for product reviews and recommendations, which can blur the line between genuine endorsement and paid promotion. Another study, from 2022, showed that while payment apps make transactions easier, many users remain concerned about security. And a 2023 report noted that despite the growth of online shopping, most retail sales still happen in physical stores — meaning that many shoppers are less experienced with the digital marketplace than they might think.
Taken together, the picture is clear: online shopping scams are common, and the ways people discover and pay for products can expose them to risk.
Why it matters
Losing money to a scam is bad enough, but the consequences can go further. A fraudulent retailer may collect your credit card number, home address, and other personal details that can be used for identity theft. Even if the dollar amount is small — say, forty dollars for a knockoff jacket — the time spent disputing charges and monitoring accounts adds up.
Scammers also adapt quickly to current events. A fake website that looks exactly like a popular brand might pop up during a sale season. A phishing email that mimics a shipping notification can arrive minutes after you place a real order. The more you shop online, the more likely you are to encounter these tactics.
The Pew finding that one in three Americans has already been hit means that even careful shoppers can slip up. It does not take a lapse in judgment — sometimes it just takes a well-made fake page at the right moment.
What readers can do
The goal is not to make you afraid of buying things online, but to give you a few straightforward habits that reduce the odds of being scammed.
Start with the seller. Before you enter payment information, spend a minute checking the site. Look for a working customer service phone number or email. Search for the company name plus “scam” or “review” — real complaints appear quickly. If the domain name is misspelled (like “nike-outlet-store.net” instead of “nike.com”), do not proceed.
Use a credit card when possible. Under U.S. law, credit cards offer stronger fraud protection than debit cards or payment apps. If a transaction turns out to be fraudulent, you can dispute the charge with your card issuer. Debit cards and wire transfers are much harder to reverse.
Be skeptical of prices that seem too low. A brand-new gaming console listed for half the retail price on a social media ad is almost certainly a trap. Scammers know that low prices grab attention. Trust your instincts — if it looks unrealistic, it probably is.
Watch for poor grammar and unprofessional design. Legitimate companies put effort into their websites. Typos, broken links, and grainy images are red flags. So are missing privacy policies or terms of service.
If you do get scammed, act fast. Contact your bank or credit card issuer immediately to report the charge. File a report with the Federal Trade Commission at ReportFraud.ftc.gov. Change passwords for any accounts you used on the fraudulent site. And monitor your bank statements for several weeks afterward.
Sources
The primary source for this article is the Pew Research Center study published in November 2025: “About a third of Americans say they’ve had an online shopping scam happen to them.” Additional context comes from related Pew reports on payment app security, TikTok product reviews, and online shopping trends, all cited in the links above.