Consumer Protection

How to Spot Online Shopping Scams and Protect Your Money (With Special Tips for Veterans) Introduction Online shopping has become a daily part of life for most of us, but scammers are constantly refining their tactics to take advantage of that convenience. For veterans and their families, the stakes are even higher because fraudsters often target those who receive benefits. This article cuts through the noise and gives you concrete warning signs, verification steps, and reporting procedures to help you shop safely. ...

Social media scams are costing Americans billions — here’s how to avoid them If you use Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, or X, you’ve probably seen an ad for a cheap designer jacket, a message from an old friend with a link, or a profile of someone who seems too perfect. Some of these are harmless. Others are setups designed to take your money or your personal information. ...

How to Spot Online Shopping Scams and Stay Safe This Season Online shopping scams are not just a seasonal nuisance—they are a persistent threat that cost consumers hundreds of millions of dollars every year, according to Federal Trade Commission data. Whether you’re hunting for deals during a holiday sale or simply restocking household essentials, the risk of encountering a fraudulent seller, a phishing email, or a fake website is real. The good news is that most scams follow predictable patterns, and learning to recognize them can dramatically reduce your chances of becoming a victim. ...

Social media scams are exploding: How to protect your money and identity What happened Social media scams are costing Americans billions as fraud continues to shift online. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) data shows that older Americans alone lost $2.4 billion to scams in 2024, and overall losses from social media–originated fraud run well into the billions. These aren’t isolated incidents — they represent a structural shift in how scammers operate. ...

Social media scams are exploding: How to spot them before you lose money If you use social media, you’ve probably seen a too-good-to-be-true ad or a direct message from someone you don’t know. These aren’t just annoyances—they’re part of a wave of fraud that cost older Americans alone an estimated $2.4 billion in 2024, according to the Federal Trade Commission. And as criminals adopt AI tools, the scams are getting harder to catch. ...

Social Media Scams Are Costing Americans Billions—Here’s How to Spot Them Introduction If you spend any time on social media, you’ve probably seen too‑good‑to‑be‑true deals, urgent messages from “friends,” or investment pitches that promise guaranteed returns. These aren’t just annoyances—they are part of a growing wave of fraud that the Federal Trade Commission says cost older Americans alone $2.4 billion in 2024. And the problem is only getting worse as scammers adopt artificial intelligence tools to make their pitches more convincing. ...

1 in 3 Americans has been hit by an online shopping scam — are you next? A recent study from the Pew Research Center puts a number on something many of us have suspected: online shopping scams are not rare. According to the data, about a third of Americans say they’ve had an online shopping scam happen to them. That is a large enough share to make the problem feel less like a remote possibility and more like an ordinary risk of buying things on the internet. ...

1 in 3 Americans Have Fallen for an Online Shopping Scam: How to Avoid Being Next If you’ve ever clicked a too-good-to-be-true deal on social media and later realized the product never arrived, you’re not alone. A new study from the Pew Research Center, released in November 2025, found that about a third of Americans say they’ve had an online shopping scam happen to them. That’s roughly 33% of U.S. adults — a sobering number, especially with the holiday shopping season ramping up. ...

Nearly One in Three Americans Have Experienced an Online Shopping Scam: What to Know and How to Protect Yourself If you shop online, you’re not alone in worrying about scams. Recent data from the Pew Research Center puts a number on that concern: about a third of Americans say they’ve had an online shopping scam happen to them. That’s roughly 32 percent of U.S. adults, based on a Pew survey conducted in 2025. ...

How to Spot Social Media Scams That Cost Americans Billions Each Year Fraud has moved online in a big way, and social media platforms have become a primary hunting ground for scammers. According to the Federal Trade Commission, older Americans alone lost $2.4 billion to scams in 2024. ConsumerAffairs reports that social media is now a top vector for fraud, with fake shopping, romance, and investment schemes leading the list. As artificial intelligence tools become more accessible, these scams are growing harder to detect. ...