1 in 3 Americans Has Been Scammed While Shopping Online – Here’s How to Protect Yourself If you shop online, the odds are not in your favor. According to a November 2025 study by the Pew Research Center, about a third of Americans say they’ve had an online shopping scam happen to them. That’s 32 percent of U.S. adults — a striking number that underscores how common these frauds have become. ...
1 in 3 Americans Hit by Online Shopping Scams – How to Protect Yourself Intro If you’ve ever clicked “Buy Now” on a deal that seemed too good to be true, only to receive nothing (or a knockoff that looks nothing like the listing), you’re far from alone. According to new data from the Pew Research Center, about a third of U.S. adults say they have experienced an online shopping scam. That’s a startling number—roughly 80 million people—and it means that many of us know someone who’s been burned, or have been burned ourselves. ...
1 in 3 Americans Have Been Scammed While Shopping Online — Here’s What to Watch For If you’ve ever clicked “buy now” on a deal that seemed too good to be true, only to realize later that the item never arrived or the payment siphoned more than expected, you’re not alone. According to a November 2025 report from the Pew Research Center, about a third of U.S. adults say they have experienced an online shopping scam. With the holiday season already amplifying e‑commerce traffic, that figure is a sobering reminder that fraudsters are actively refining their methods. ...
Cut Through the AI Hype: A Practical Guide to Protecting Your Privacy Every day, a new AI product promises to revolutionize how you work, shop, or communicate. Some of these tools genuinely help — but many more rely on vague marketing, exaggerated capabilities, and opaque data practices. For the average person, sorting the real from the reel is getting harder. More importantly, the hype often masks serious privacy risks. ...
Don’t Get Tricked by Fake Summer Sales: How to Spot Scam Deals Before You Buy Summer is when retailers push big discounts – Amazon Prime Day, clearance events, back-to-school sales. Unfortunately, it’s also when scammers push fake versions of those deals. They create lookalike websites, send phishing emails that appear to come from major stores, and run ads on social media that lead to pages designed to steal your payment details or personal information. ...
Don’t Believe the AI Hype: How to Spot Empty Marketing and Protect Your Privacy Every month, another app, gadget, or website announces it has “AI” inside. The term is everywhere—on toasters, note‑taking apps, search engines, and customer service chatbots. But much of what gets labeled artificial intelligence is either a minor algorithm upgrade or, in some cases, nothing new at all. The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) has been calling for a more skeptical approach to these claims, and their recent work highlights why everyday consumers need to pay attention. The hype isn’t just harmless marketing—it often comes with real privacy risks. ...
Don’t Get Tricked This Summer: How to Spot Fake Sale Scams Summer sales are a busy time for online shoppers—and for scammers. Every year, criminals ramp up fake deals, phishing attempts, and impersonator ads, hoping to catch people off guard. Recent reports from Bitdefender highlight several active scams, including Pinterest ads that pretend to be Amazon clearance sales, unexpected packages with malicious QR codes, and even phone number hijacking attempts. Before you click that “unbeatable” offer, it helps to know what to look for. ...
AI Hype Is Everywhere – Here’s How to Spot It and Protect Your Privacy Every few months, a new “AI-powered” product promises to transform your life – a smarter assistant, a faster way to edit photos, a tool that predicts everything from your health to your next purchase. The claims can be impressive, but many are built on more vapor than fact. When companies rush to slap “AI” on a feature, the real costs often land on you: your personal data, your wallet, and your ability to make informed choices. The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) has been pushing back against this trend, urging consumers and policymakers to cut through the hype. Here’s how you can do the same. ...
Don’t Fall for AI Hype: How to Spot Overblown Claims and Protect Your Privacy Every week, a new AI product promises to revolutionize your workflow, make you more creative, or solve problems you didn’t even know you had. The marketing language is polished: “cutting-edge,” “magical,” “human-like understanding.” But beneath the enthusiasm, many of these tools collect far more data than they admit, and the actual capabilities often fall short of the demo videos. ...
One in Three Americans Have Experienced an Online Shopping Scam: What You Need to Know According to a November 2025 report from the Pew Research Center, about a third of Americans say they’ve had an online shopping scam happen to them. The figure comes from a nationally representative survey of U.S. adults and underscores how common these frauds have become. Whether you shop on Amazon, social media, or independent websites, the odds are good that you or someone you know has encountered a scam. ...