1 in 3 Americans Hit by Online Shopping Scams: How to Protect Yourself This Year

If you buy things online—and most of us do—the odds that you or someone you know has been caught by a shopping scam are now uncomfortably high. A new report from the Pew Research Center, based on a nationally representative survey of U.S. adults, found that roughly one in three Americans say they have experienced an online shopping scam. That figure, published in November 2025, gives a stark picture of how widespread these schemes have become.

What Happened

Pew’s survey asked about a range of scams that happen specifically during online shopping. The results show that about 33% of U.S. adults say they have been targeted or have fallen for at least one such scam. The most common types reported include:

  • Fake websites that imitate legitimate retailers, often using similar domain names and logos.
  • Phishing emails or texts that pretend to be from a store or delivery company, asking for account details or payment info.
  • Counterfeit goods that look like popular brands but never arrive, or arrive as poor-quality knockoffs.
  • Paying for items that are never shipped after the payment is processed.

The data does not break out exact percentages for each type, but it confirms that scams are not a rare or isolated problem. Pew also notes that younger adults and those with higher household incomes reported slightly higher rates of being targeted—likely because they shop online more frequently.

Why It Matters

Online shopping is only growing. With the 2026 holiday season approaching—Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and the last-minute gift rush—scammers are gearing up to take advantage of the surge in orders and the desperation for deals. The Pew data should serve as a warning: this is not a marginal issue. One in three people means that a large share of consumers have already been harmed, and many more are at risk.

Beyond the immediate financial loss, these scams can lead to identity theft. Scammers often collect names, addresses, credit card numbers, and even Social Security numbers under the guise of “order confirmation” or “account verification.” Recovering from identity theft takes months or years, and it can affect your credit and ability to get loans.

Another concern is that many victims do not report the scam. Fear of embarrassment or the belief that nothing can be done keeps the numbers hidden. The true scale is therefore likely higher than one in three.

What Readers Can Do

You do not need to stop shopping online, but you can lower your risk significantly by following a few straightforward practices.

Before you buy:

  • Double-check the website. Look for subtle misspellings in the URL (like “amaz0n.com” instead of “amazon.com”), poor grammar in product descriptions, and a missing padlock icon in the address bar. If a site looks thrown together, that is a strong red flag.
  • Stick to known retailers when possible. For small or unfamiliar stores, search for reviews outside their own site. Check the Better Business Bureau or the company’s social media presence. A complete lack of customer feedback is suspicious.
  • Be skeptical of deals that seem too good. Scammers lure shoppers with prices far below the market average—think a $1,200 laptop for $300. If the discount is unrealistic, it almost certainly is.
  • Use a credit card or a payment service like PayPal. Credit cards offer stronger fraud protection than debit cards or direct bank transfers. Many issuers will reverse fraudulent charges if you report them promptly.

While shopping:

  • Enable two-factor authentication on your account if the store offers it. It adds a step but can block someone who steals your password.
  • Do not click links in unsolicited emails or texts. Even if the message appears to be from a retailer you use, open a new browser and log in directly. Phishing links can lead to fake login pages that harvest your credentials.

If you realize you’ve been scammed:

  1. Contact your bank or credit card issuer immediately. Tell them the charge is unauthorized. They can freeze the card and start a chargeback process.
  2. Change the password for the affected account and any other accounts that use the same password.
  3. Report the scam to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) at ReportFraud.ftc.gov. Your report helps them track patterns and warn others.
  4. Monitor your bank and credit card statements for the next several months. Sometimes scammers make small test charges before bigger ones.

The risk of online shopping scams is real, but it is manageable. The key is to slow down, verify before you pay, and know what to do if something goes wrong. With a few habits, you can shop confidently even during the busiest weeks of the year.

Sources

  • Pew Research Center, “About 1 in 3 Americans say they experienced an online shopping scam,” November 2025. (Nationally representative survey of U.S. adults.)
  • Federal Trade Commission, “Report Fraud,” reportfraud.ftc.gov.