One in three Americans has been hit by an online shopping scam: How to protect yourself

If you buy things online, you’ve probably heard warnings about scams. New data from the Pew Research Center shows just how common they’ve become. According to a report published in November 2025, about a third of U.S. adults say they have experienced an online shopping scam at some point.

That’s a large number, and it covers everything from a fake website that never ships your order to a social media ad that leads to a phishing page. The problem isn’t going away — and during peak shopping seasons, it tends to get worse.

Here’s what the data says, why it matters for your wallet and personal information, and a few practical steps you can take to lower your risk.

What the data shows

The Pew report found that 33% of U.S. adults have personally been on the receiving end of an online shopping scam. That figure comes from a nationally representative survey conducted in the fall of 2025. The same research also highlighted that fraud related to payment apps like Venmo and Cash App is a growing concern. In a separate 2022 Pew survey, roughly one in six Americans reported having sent money to the wrong person on a payment app, and many had trouble getting it back.

Scams take many forms, but the most common ones include:

  • Fake online stores – websites that look legitimate but never deliver the product.
  • Social media ads – paid ads for items at steep discounts that either don’t arrive or are counterfeit.
  • Seller impersonation – someone pretending to be a known brand or a friend selling an item.
  • Phishing emails – messages that appear to be from a retailer asking you to click a link or enter payment details.

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) reports that consumers lost billions of dollars to online shopping fraud in recent years, and the numbers keep climbing.

Why this matters for your security

If you shop on social media platforms like TikTok, Instagram, or Facebook, or if you use payment apps instead of credit cards, you may be at higher risk. Pew’s research also shows that a majority of TikTok users look for product reviews and recommendations on the platform — but not all those recommendations are reliable. Scammers set up fake profiles, pay for fake reviews, and create urgency with limited-time offers.

Once you send money through a payment app like Zelle or Cash App, reversing the transaction is often difficult. Credit cards and PayPal offer more consumer protection, but delays and disputes can still be frustrating.

The bottom line: online shopping is convenient, but the convenience comes with a need for vigilance.

Steps to protect yourself

You don’t need to stop shopping online, but a few habits can make a big difference.

  • Stick with known retailers when possible. If you’re buying from an unfamiliar website, search for reviews and check for red flags like poor grammar, missing contact information, or a domain that’s only a few weeks old.
  • Use a credit card for online purchases. Credit cards generally offer stronger fraud protection compared to debit cards, bank transfers, or peer-to-peer payment apps. If something goes wrong, you can dispute the charge.
  • Watch for deals that seem too good to be true. A new smartphone for $50 or a designer bag at 90% off is almost always a scam. Scammers rely on the lure of a bargain.
  • Verify the seller, especially on social media. Look at the account’s history, check for a verified badge, and read independent reviews from sites like Trustpilot or the Better Business Bureau.
  • Enable two-factor authentication (2FA) on your shopping accounts. This adds an extra step when logging in, making it harder for someone to take over your account.
  • Think twice before clicking links in unsolicited emails or texts. Even if the message looks like it’s from a company you use, type the website address directly into your browser instead.

If you do fall for a scam, act quickly:

  1. Contact your bank or credit card company to freeze the transaction and report the fraud.
  2. Change your passwords on any accounts you may have used.
  3. File a report with the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.
  4. Monitor your bank and credit card statements for unusual activity.

Sharing these tips with family and friends — especially those who use payment apps or shop on social media — can help reduce the number of people who become a statistic in next year’s survey.

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, “Payment apps like Venmo and Cash App bring convenience – and security concerns – to some users,” September 2022.
  • Federal Trade Commission, “Consumer Sentinel Network Data Book,” 2024.