Nearly 1 in 3 Americans has been caught in an online shopping scam. Here’s how to avoid it.

The numbers are sobering. According to a recent Pew Research Center survey, about one in three U.S. adults say they have experienced an online shopping scam. That figure comes from a nationally representative study published in November 2025, and it reinforces what many security researchers have been saying for years: online shopping fraud is not a rare event—it is a routine risk for anyone who buys things over the internet.

What happened: the scale and shape of the problem

Pew’s survey asked respondents whether they had ever encountered a scam while shopping online. The response—33%—is striking, but not entirely surprising. Holiday seasons like Black Friday and Cyber Monday often bring a spike in fraudulent activity, as scammers capitalize on the surge in spending and the general rush to find deals.

The scams themselves come in several familiar forms. Fake websites that mimic legitimate retailers, phishing emails that claim package delivery problems, counterfeit goods sold through auctions or social media, and outright non-delivery of paid items are among the most common. A separate Pew report from July 2025 on online scams and attacks painted a broader picture: phishing, identity theft, and romance scams also affect millions, but shopping fraud remains one of the most frequently reported categories.

Other research cited in the same period suggests that platforms like Meta are awash in deepfake scam ads, where artificial intelligence is used to create convincing videos of celebrities or trusted figures endorsing bogus products. These ads can look authentic at first glance, making it harder for shoppers to separate real deals from traps.

Why it matters

For most people, the direct financial hit is the most obvious consequence. Fraud losses can range from a few dollars to thousands, and recovering that money is often difficult—especially when payment was made via wire transfer, gift card, or certain peer-to-peer apps that lack purchase protection.

But the problem goes beyond individual losses. Trust in online commerce erodes when scams become common. Shoppers may hesitate to buy from unfamiliar sites, miss out on legitimate bargains, or waste time verifying every seller. For small businesses that depend on e‑commerce, a climate of suspicion can hurt sales even when they do everything right.

And the timing matters. The Pew survey was released just before the holiday shopping season, a period when millions of Americans plan to make major purchases. Knowing that one in three adults has already been burned is a strong signal to be extra cautious—not fearful, but methodical.

What readers can do

The goal is not to scare people away from online shopping. It is to give them a checklist of practical habits that reduce the odds of being the next statistic. Here are the steps that consumer protection experts consistently recommend:

Stick to credit cards when possible. Credit cards generally offer stronger fraud protection than debit cards, wire transfers, or gift cards. If a charge turns out to be fraudulent, you can dispute it with your card issuer and often get the money back while they investigate. Debit cards lack that same buffer because the money comes directly out of your bank account.

Verify the seller before you pay. If you find a product on a site you have never heard of, look for contact information, a physical address, and customer reviews from independent sources. Search for the store name plus the word “scam” to see if others have reported problems. Be especially wary of pop‑up ads or links sent via email or text—scammers often use urgency (“only 3 left!”) to skip your usual reasoning.

Check the URL closely. Scammers register domains that look almost identical to major retailers—for example, using a “rn” instead of “m” in “amazon,” or a different top-level domain like .shop instead of .com. A moment of attention to the address bar can catch a fake site before you enter payment information.

Use payment services with buyer protection. Services like PayPal, when used for goods and services, often include dispute resolution. But avoid “friends and family” transfers for purchases—that mode waives protection. Similarly, peer-to-peer payment apps such as Venmo or Cash App are not designed for buying from strangers and offer limited recourse.

Enable purchase alerts. Most banks and credit card issuers allow you to set transaction alerts by email or text. These can help you spot unauthorized charges quickly, giving you a better chance of reversing them.

Watch for red flags in product descriptions. Stolen or stock photos, prices that are 50% or more below the usual market rate, and misspelled brand names are all warning signs. If a deal seems too good to be true, it probably is.

What to do if you are scammed. Act fast. Contact your bank or card issuer to report the charge and request a chargeback. File a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission at ReportFraud.ftc.gov. If you gave away personal information like your Social Security number, consider freezing your credit with the three major bureaus (Equifax, Experian, TransUnion) to prevent identity theft.

No single precaution will block every scam, but layering these habits makes you a much harder target. And compared with the time and money lost to a successful fraud, taking an extra minute to verify a seller or check a URL is a small investment.

Sources

  • Pew Research Center, “About 1 in 3 Americans say they experienced an online shopping scam,” November 2025.
  • Pew Research Center, “Online Scams and Attacks in America Today,” July 2025.
  • Tech Transparency Project, “Meta Awash in Deepfake Scam Ads,” October 2025.
  • Fingerlakes1.com, “BLACK FRIDAY SCAMS: What to watch out for online this year,” November 2025.