Consumer Protection

How to Spot and Avoid Online Shopping Scams: Tips for Safer Buying Online shopping is convenient, but it also attracts scammers. Fake websites, phishing emails, and deceptive ads are becoming more common, especially during peak shopping seasons. The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs recently published an alert reminding consumers to stay cautious when shopping online. Below are practical steps to help you identify scams and protect your money. ...

How to Spot Online Shopping Scams and Protect Yourself Online shopping has made it easier than ever to buy almost anything from a phone or laptop. But the same convenience that lets you order a gift in seconds also gives scammers a direct line to your wallet. According to the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3), Americans lost more than $10 billion to internet crime in 2022, and shopping scams remain one of the most frequently reported categories. ...

1 in 3 Americans have been scammed while shopping online. Here’s how to spot the traps. According to recent data from the Pew Research Center, about a third of Americans say they’ve had an online shopping scam happen to them. That figure comes from a survey conducted in late 2025, and it underscores a problem that has only grown worse as more of our daily purchases move to screens. The good news is that most of these scams follow predictable patterns. Once you know what to look for, you can spot them before you lose money. ...

How to Spot Online Shopping Scams: Tips from the VA Online shopping has become a routine part of life, but scammers are getting better at mimicking legitimate stores, payment portals, and customer service. The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs regularly issues alerts about these threats, especially for veterans and military families who may be targeted with fake VA-related offers. But the advice applies to anyone buying online. ...

One in Three Americans Have Been Scammed While Shopping Online – Here’s How to Stay Safe A new survey from the Pew Research Center has quantified what many consumers already suspect: online shopping scams are disturbingly common. According to the November 2025 report, about a third of U.S. adults (33%) say they have personally experienced an online shopping scam. That figure translates into tens of millions of people who have paid for goods that never arrived, handed over payment details to fake storefronts, or clicked on phony order confirmations that led to identity theft. ...

1 in 3 Americans Got Scammed Shopping Online: Here’s How to Avoid It If you shop online—and most of us do—you’ve probably wondered whether that unbelievable deal or unfamiliar website is legitimate. New data from the Pew Research Center, released in November 2025, suggests that your caution is warranted. According to a national survey conducted in July 2025, about one in three U.S. adults say they have personally experienced an online shopping scam. ...

What Grok’s Privacy Ruling Means for AI Image Tool Users Canada’s privacy watchdog recently ruled that Grok, the AI image generator owned by Elon Musk’s xAI, violated the country’s privacy law. The finding is a concrete example of how AI tools can collect and use personal photos without proper consent. For anyone who shares images online—or uses AI image generators—this ruling is worth understanding. ...

What Americans Really Think About Sharing Their Data With AI (and What You Should Know) If you’ve used a chatbot, an AI writing assistant, or a photo-editing tool lately, you’ve probably been asked to share some personal data. Maybe the app wanted access to your location, your contacts, or simply the content you typed. And maybe you paused before clicking “allow.” ...

What Americans Really Think About Sharing Data With AI (and How to Protect Yourself) A new survey has pulled back the curtain on how Americans feel about handing over their personal information to artificial intelligence tools. The results are not surprising to privacy advocates: a majority of people are uneasy with the data collection practices of AI companies, and many want stronger guardrails. ...

Prime Day Shopping? Here’s How to Spot Fake Deals and Stay Safe Intro Prime Day has become one of the biggest online shopping events of the year, but that surge in traffic also draws a predictable crowd: scammers. Every major sales period—Black Friday, Cyber Monday, Prime Day—sees a spike in phishing emails, fake websites, and fraudulent sellers. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) consistently warns that these high-traffic windows are when criminals are most active. ...