New Pew Data: One in Three Americans Has Fallen for an Online Shopping Scam – What You Need to Know

If you’ve ever bought something online that never arrived, or handed over payment details to a site that turned out to be fake, you’re not alone. New research from the Pew Research Center found that about a third of U.S. adults (33%) say they’ve experienced an online shopping scam. With holiday shopping ramping up, that number is likely to grow unless shoppers take a few basic precautions.

What Happened

The Pew survey, released late last year, asked Americans about their encounters with various online scams. The most common type was the fake online store – a site that looks legitimate but is designed only to collect payment information. Younger adults (ages 18–29) reported higher rates of being scammed than older age groups. And people who regularly use social media to browse or buy products, especially on platforms like TikTok and Instagram, were disproportionately affected.

These findings align with other Pew data showing that payment app users often express concerns about security, even while enjoying the convenience. Meanwhile, social media influencers have become a major source of product recommendations for young adults, which can make distinguishing genuine sellers from fraudsters harder.

Why It Matters

Online shopping scams aren’t just a nuisance – they can lead to financial loss, stolen personal data, and even identity theft. The average amount lost varies, but the Federal Trade Commission repeatedly warns that scams involving gift cards, wire transfers, and payment apps are especially hard to recover. Once money is sent via a service like Zelle or Cash App, it’s often gone for good. Even credit card chargebacks aren’t guaranteed if you willingly provided your card number to a fraudulent merchant.

Beyond the immediate dollar amount, there’s the risk of having your email, phone number, and home address collected by scammers who may sell it to other fraudsters. That can mean more phishing attempts, robocalls, and even mail fraud down the line.

What Readers Can Do

Here are concrete steps you can take right now to reduce your risk, based on guidance from consumer protection agencies and security experts.

1. Verify the website before you pay. Look for obvious signs: missing contact info, no physical address, excessive typos, or prices that seem too good to be true. Use a domain age checker to see if the site was only registered a few weeks ago. If an unfamiliar store has no reviews on sites like Trustpilot or the Better Business Bureau, proceed with caution – or better yet, don’t.

2. Stick with credit cards when possible. Credit cards offer the strongest fraud protection under federal law (the Fair Credit Billing Act). If a scammer charges you, you can dispute the transaction and the card issuer must investigate. Debit cards have weaker protections, and payment apps like Venmo or Zelle are not covered by the same laws. Use those only with people you know and trust, not for unverified purchases.

3. Watch for phishing emails and fake ads. A common scam is an email that looks like it’s from Amazon, Walmart, or PayPal, saying there’s a problem with your order or a special deal just for you. Never click a link in an unexpected email. Instead, go directly to the retailer’s website by typing the URL yourself. Similarly, be wary of social media ads that lead to lookalike domains – one character off from the real site is a red flag.

4. Use strong, unique passwords. If a scam site doesn’t steal your money, it may steal your login credentials. Never reuse the same password across shopping sites. A password manager makes this easy. Enable two-factor authentication on your email and any financial accounts.

5. Know what to do if you get scammed. Act fast. Contact your bank or credit card issuer immediately to report the fraud. If you used a payment app, file a dispute through the app’s support system (though success is not guaranteed). Report the scam to the Federal Trade Commission at ReportFraud.ftc.gov. Also report the fraudulent website or social media account to the platform so they can take it down.

By staying alert – not paranoid – you can enjoy the convenience of online shopping without becoming part of the one-in-three statistic.

Sources

  • Pew Research Center. “About a third of Americans say they’ve had an online shopping scam happen to them.” November 2025.
  • Pew Research Center. “Payment app users say they make paying easier, but security a concern for some.” September 2022.
  • Federal Trade Commission. “How to Avoid a Scam.” ftc.gov/scams.