One in Three Americans Has Fallen for an Online Shopping Scam: Here’s How to Stay Safe

A new survey from the Pew Research Center, published in November 2025, sheds light on a problem many of us have suspected: online shopping scams are widespread. Roughly one in three American adults say they have personally experienced an online shopping scam. That figure is not just a statistic—it reflects millions of real losses, ranging from a few dollars for a product that never arrived to significant financial damage from stolen payment information.

What Happened

Pew asked American adults whether they had ever had an online shopping scam happen to them, and 32% said yes. The survey defined an online shopping scam broadly, from fake websites that take payment and never deliver, to sellers on social media marketplaces who disappear after the transaction, to phishing messages that pretend to be from a known retailer. The data was collected in July 2025 and published in November 2025, making it one of the most current snapshots of the problem.

The survey also found that certain groups are more likely to have been scammed. Younger adults—those under 50—reported higher rates, and people with higher household incomes also had elevated odds. That could be because they shop online more often, not because they are less cautious.

Why It Matters

Online shopping scams are not rare events that only happen to the careless. They affect all kinds of consumers, and the tactics scammers use are becoming harder to spot. Unlike a data breach where a company’s servers are hacked, an online shopping scam often relies on tricking the buyer directly. That means your own alertness is a key line of defense.

Moreover, scams tend to spike during holiday seasons and big sales events, but the problem is year-round. If you shop online even occasionally, you are a potential target. The financial loss is bad enough, but the aftermath—disputing charges, changing passwords, monitoring credit reports—is a major inconvenience.

What Readers Can Do

The good news is that most online shopping scams follow predictable patterns. Once you know what to look for, you can avoid them most of the time. Here are practical steps drawn from consumer protection advice and the findings of the Pew survey:

1. Recognize the most common scam types.

  • Fake websites: These look like real retailers but have slightly altered URLs (e.g., amzon.com instead of amazon.com). They often advertise deep discounts.
  • Non-delivery scams: You pay for an item and it never shows up. The seller may stop communicating or the store vanishes after a few weeks.
  • Phishing for payment info: You receive an email or text pretending to be from a retailer asking you to “confirm your payment details.” The link leads to a fake login page.
  • Social media marketplace scams: Sellers on platforms like Facebook Marketplace or Instagram take payment via Venmo or Cash App, then block you.

2. Look for red flags before you buy.

  • Price too good to be true? If a high-end item is listed at a fraction of the normal price, it is probably a scam.
  • Website quality: Look for typos, poor design, broken links, or contact information that seems fake (e.g., a Gmail address instead of a company domain).
  • Payment methods: Scammers often insist on wire transfers, gift cards, or peer-to-peer payment apps like Zelle, Venmo, or Cash App. These offer little to no recourse if something goes wrong. Credit cards generally give you stronger fraud protection.
  • Seller reputation: On platforms like eBay or Amazon, check seller ratings and recent feedback. For standalone websites, search for “[store name] scam” before buying.

3. Protect your personal information.

  • Use a credit card rather than a debit card when possible. Credit cards have chargeback rights under federal law (Fair Credit Billing Act). Debit cards have weaker protections.
  • Enable purchase alerts on your credit or debit card so you get a notification every time a transaction happens.
  • Do not click links in unsolicited emails or texts. Go directly to the retailer’s website by typing the address yourself.
  • Use unique passwords for shopping accounts and enable two-factor authentication wherever available.

4. Know what to do if you are scammed.

  • Immediately contact your bank or credit card issuer to report the unauthorized transaction and request a chargeback.
  • File a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.
  • If you paid via a peer-to-peer app, contact the app’s support team, though recovery is not guaranteed.
  • Change the password on any account that might be compromised.
  • Monitor your credit reports for a few months afterward to catch any identity theft attempts.

Sources

The data on scam prevalence comes from the Pew Research Center report “About a third of Americans say they’ve had an online shopping scam happen to them,” published November 19, 2025. For protection advice, general consumer guidance from the FTC and consumer advocacy groups was used. No findings beyond the published survey and established fraud prevention practices are asserted.

If you have not yet experienced an online shopping scam, you are in the majority—but that margin is shrinking. The main takeaway is simple: slow down, verify before you pay, and use payment methods that let you fight back.