1 in 3 Americans Have Experienced an Online Shopping Scam — Here’s How to Spot One Before You Lose Money

The numbers are hard to ignore. In November 2025, the Pew Research Center reported that about a third of Americans say they’ve had an online shopping scam happen to them. For a country where nearly everyone buys something online at least a few times a year, that means millions of people have lost money, had their personal data stolen, or both.

With the holiday season accelerating the pace of purchases, it’s worth taking a few minutes to understand what these scams look like, how to avoid them, and what to do if you suspect you’ve been caught.

What happened

Pew’s survey found that roughly 33% of U.S. adults have personally encountered an online shopping scam. That could mean a fake website that took payment and never shipped anything, a phishing message pretending to be from a familiar retailer, or a fraudulent listing on a social media marketplace. The study is part of a broader look at digital fraud in America, and the shopping scam figure is just one piece: other common problems include phishing emails, romance scams, and tech support fraud.

The full report is worth reading for context, but the takeaway is that shopping scams are not rare. They target people of all ages and income levels, though younger adults and those who frequently use payment apps appear to be at higher risk.

Why it matters

When you buy something from a store you don’t know, especially one discovered through an ad on social media or a text message, you are trusting that business with your money and usually your payment card details. Scammers exploit that trust. They often rely on urgency (“today only, 70% off!”), counterfeit websites with slightly misspelled URLs, or requests to pay via wire transfer, gift card, or payment apps like Venmo and Cash App.

The financial loss can range from a few dollars to several hundred, but the bigger risk is that you hand over enough personal information to enable identity theft. Even when a scam results in no direct financial loss, the process of disputing charges, replacing cards, and monitoring credit reports is time-consuming and stressful.

What readers can do

Avoiding online shopping scams doesn’t require special technical skills — just a bit of caution and a few consistent habits.

1. Verify the seller before you buy.
Start with the domain name. Scammers often use addresses like “amazon-deals-xyz.com” or “nike-outlet-store.net.” Look for a padlock icon in the address bar, which indicates the site uses a secure connection — though that alone is not a guarantee of legitimacy. Check for real contact information: a physical address, a phone number that works, and a customer service email. If the only way to reach the seller is a web form, be suspicious.

2. Read reviews — with some skepticism.
Fake reviews are common on scam sites and even on some legitimate-looking storefronts. Look for reviews that mention specific product details rather than generic praise. Check multiple sources: Trustpilot, the Better Business Bureau, or a simple search for the store name plus “scam” or “complaint.” If you see many identical glowing reviews posted on the same date, that’s a red flag.

3. Be cautious with payment methods.
Credit cards offer the strongest fraud protection under federal law (the Fair Credit Billing Act limits your liability). Payment services like PayPal also have buyer protection programs. What you want to avoid is wiring money, sending a gift card code, or using a payment app’s “friends and family” option for a purchase from a stranger. Once the money is sent that way, it’s very hard to recover.

4. Watch for phishing attempts.
If you get an email or text saying there’s a problem with a recent order, do not click the link. Instead, go directly to the retailer’s website and log into your account. Scammers mimic tracking notifications, shipping updates, and “your account has been suspended” messages from companies like Amazon, Walmart, or USPS. Look for misspellings, generic greetings like “Dear customer,” and a sense of urgency designed to make you act before thinking.

5. Trust the price test.
If a deal seems too good to be true — say, a new iPhone for $200 or a designer bag at 90% off — it probably is. Scammers lure buyers with extreme discounts because they know it overrides rational checks.

6. If you suspect a scam, stop and do nothing for 24 hours.
Legitimate deals will still be there tomorrow. Scammers want you to act fast. Giving yourself a day to research the seller and read warnings often reveals the fraud.

What to do if you’ve been scammed

Act quickly, but don’t panic.

  • Contact your bank or credit card issuer immediately to report the fraudulent charge. They can often reverse it and issue a new card.
  • If you used a payment app, report the transaction through the app’s support system and request a dispute.
  • File a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission at ReportFraud.ftc.gov. It won’t get your money back directly, but it helps law enforcement track patterns.
  • If you shared personal information, consider placing a fraud alert on your credit reports with Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion.

You can also report the scam to the platform where you encountered it — Facebook Marketplace, eBay, Instagram, etc. They may remove the seller and prevent others from being victimized.

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.
  • Federal Trade Commission. 2024 Fraud Reports. (Data referenced for context.)

Staying safe while shopping online doesn’t mean giving up convenience. It means slowing down, checking the details, and using payment methods that protect you. The one-in-three statistic is a reminder that this isn’t about being paranoid — it’s about being prepared.