1 in 3 Americans Has Been Scammed While Shopping Online. Here’s How to Stay Safe.

A new report from the Pew Research Center, published in November 2025, finds that roughly a third of U.S. adults say they have personally experienced an online shopping scam. That figure is a reminder that fraud is not a rare or distant problem — it touches a large share of consumers, and the risk is only rising during peak shopping seasons.

The study, part of Pew’s broader work on digital fraud, surveyed a nationally representative sample and asked people whether they had ever fallen victim to an online purchase scam — defined as paying for an item that never arrived, or that was significantly different from what was advertised, or that was purchased from a fake website. The 33% figure covers any such experience, not just recent ones, but it underscores how common these schemes have become.

What happened

The Pew Research Center report, released on November 19, 2025, found that 33% of U.S. adults say an online shopping scam has happened to them. The survey also looked at other types of online attacks, such as phishing and data breaches, but the shopping scam figure is notable because it involves direct financial loss for many people.

The data comes from a survey conducted earlier in 2025, and the findings align with consumer complaint data from the Federal Trade Commission, which has consistently ranked online shopping scams among the top categories of fraud reported.

Why it matters

Online shopping is now a daily habit for millions of Americans. The convenience of buying everything from a phone screen is paired with a persistent threat: fake stores, phony deals, and sellers who take payments but never ship anything. The Pew study makes clear that this is not a marginal issue. About one in three people has already been hit.

The timing is important. With holiday shopping underway and deal-driven promotions flooding inboxes and social feeds, scammers are actively exploiting the rush. They set up sites that mimic well-known retailers, advertise deep discounts on hard-to-find items, and use sponsored posts on platforms like TikTok and Instagram to appear legitimate. The Pew report itself notes that younger adults are especially dependent on mobile shopping and influencer recommendations, which can also be vectors for fraud.

What readers can do

There is no single trick to avoid every scam, but most follow a few predictable patterns. Recognizing them is the first line of defense.

1. Know the most common scam types.

  • Fake websites. A site may look like a real store but have a slightly off URL, poor grammar, or missing contact details. Scammers often register domains that are one letter off from a trusted brand.
  • Social media ads. Paid posts that link to unknown stores are a leading source of fraud. A 2024 Pew study found that a majority of TikTok users go there for product recommendations, but not all recommendations are trustworthy.
  • Non-delivery scams. You pay, the seller disappears, and the item never ships. This is the classic version.
  • Phishing emails or texts. A message claiming to be from Amazon, PayPal, or a shipping company asks you to click a link to “confirm your order” or “track a package.” That link leads to a fake login page designed to steal your credentials.

2. Spot the red flags.

  • The price is absurdly low — a new game console or designer bag for 80% off.
  • The domain name is odd, e.g., “amaz0n-deals.net.”
  • The site uses a generic email address (Gmail, Yahoo) instead of a company domain for customer support.
  • There is no clear refund or return policy, or the terms are buried.
  • The payment options are limited to cryptocurrency, wire transfer, or peer-to-peer payment apps like Venmo or Cash App. Credit cards offer chargeback protections; these methods often do not.

3. Verify the seller before you buy.

  • Search the store name plus “scam” or “complaint.” See what comes up.
  • Check if the website has a real physical address and phone number, and test the number if possible.
  • Look for reviews on third-party sites like the Better Business Bureau or Trustpilot, but be aware that fake reviews exist.
  • If you are shopping on a marketplace like Amazon or eBay, stick to sellers with a long, positive history rather than brand-new accounts.

4. Know what to do if you are scammed.

  • Act quickly. Contact your bank or credit card issuer to report the transaction and request a chargeback. For debit cards or payment apps, time is shorter and protections may be weaker.
  • Change your passwords if you shared login details.
  • Report the scam to the Federal Trade Commission at ReportFraud.ftc.gov. Your report helps track patterns and may help others avoid the same scheme.
  • If you used a payment app, report the transaction through the app’s fraud system as well. Recovery is not guaranteed, but some platforms have buyer protection policies.

5. Prepare for what’s next.
The Pew research and other cybersecurity analysts point to AI-generated scams as a growing threat. Scammers can now use chatbots to write convincing email or social media messages and create fake product images that look real. The same red flags still apply — even more so. If a deal seems too good to be true, it almost certainly is.

No single precaution will make you immune, but staying cautious and slowing down before you click “buy” is the most effective habit you can build.

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, “Online Scams and Attacks in America Today,” July 2025.
  • Pew Research Center, “A majority of U.S. TikTok users are there for product reviews and recommendations,” November 2024.
  • Federal Trade Commission, Consumer Sentinel Network Data Book 2024 (and earlier editions).