Consumer Protection

About a Third of Americans Say They’ve Had an Online Shopping Scam Happen to Them – How to Avoid Becoming a Statistic If you’ve ever clicked “Buy Now” on a deal that seemed too good to be true, you’re not alone. A new survey from the Pew Research Center, published 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 percent of U.S. adults – a number that should give any online shopper pause. As holiday shopping and seasonal sales create more opportunities for fraud, understanding how these scams work and how to protect yourself is more important than ever. ...

How to Spot and Avoid Online Shopping Scams: Essential Tips for Safe Buying Online shopping has become a routine part of life for most people, but scammers are increasingly using fake stores, phishing emails, and social media ads to trick buyers. Recent alerts from government agencies, including a January 2026 advisory from VA News, highlight that these threats are not going away. Here’s what you need to know to shop with confidence and protect your money and personal information. ...

One in Three Americans Have Fallen for an Online Shopping Scam – Here’s How to Avoid It If you’ve ever bought something online that never arrived, or paid for a “deal” that turned out to be fake, you’re far from alone. According to a recent Pew Research Center survey, about a third of Americans say they’ve had an online shopping scam happen to them. That figure is striking—and it underscores just how common these schemes have become. ...

1 in 3 Americans Has Been Hit by an Online Shopping Scam: How to Dodge the Next One If you’ve ever clicked “buy” on a deal that seemed too good to be true only to receive nothing—or a fake product—you’re far from alone. A new survey from the Pew Research Center found that roughly one in three U.S. adults say they have personally experienced an online shopping scam. That’s about 33% of the adult population. And as holiday shopping ramps up, the numbers are worth paying attention to. ...

Online Shopping Scams Are More Common Than You Think — How to Spot and Avoid Them The numbers are sobering: about a third of Americans say they have experienced an online shopping scam, according to a November 2025 Pew Research Center study. If you have not yet encountered one, the odds suggest you probably will – especially as holiday shopping moves online and fraudsters sharpen their tactics. ...

Online Shopping Scams on Meta: How to Protect Yourself If you’ve bought or sold something on Facebook Marketplace or Instagram Shopping, you’re not alone—millions of people use these platforms every day. But recently, Dutch authorities publicly criticized Meta for not doing enough to stop the wave of online shopping scams happening on its services. The criticism from regulators in the Netherlands signals that the problem is serious and persistent. While Meta has put some protections in place, the reality is that the responsibility often still falls on you as the user. Here’s what’s happening and how you can shop more safely. ...

How to spot and avoid online shopping scams this season Online shopping is convenient, but it also attracts fraudsters. Scams that target shoppers are becoming more common, especially during major sales events and the holiday season. Government agencies, including the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Federal Trade Commission, have issued warnings about the most frequent tactics. The good news is that most scams follow predictable patterns, and a few simple precautions can keep you safe. ...

How to Spot and Avoid Shopping Scams on Facebook and Instagram Right Now If you’ve bought or sold anything on Facebook Marketplace or Instagram, you’ve probably noticed that scams are everywhere. Dutch authorities recently made that official: after an investigation, they concluded that Meta isn’t doing nearly enough to protect users from online shopping fraud. For shoppers, that means the responsibility falls back on you. Here’s what’s happening, why it matters, and—most importantly—how to keep your money safe. ...

1 in 3 Americans Has Experienced an Online Shopping Scam — Are You Protected? If you buy things online—whether from major retailers, social media marketplaces, or through a payment app—you’re not alone if something has gone wrong. A new survey from the Pew Research Center found that roughly one in three U.S. adults say they have personally had an online shopping scam happen to them. That’s a high enough number that it’s worth stepping back and understanding what’s really going on—and what you can do to avoid becoming another statistic. ...

Almost 1 in 3 Americans Have Been Scammed Shopping Online: Here’s How to Protect Yourself If you’ve ever clicked a too-good-to-be-true ad on social media or bought something from an unfamiliar website only to receive nothing—or a counterfeit—you are far from alone. A recent Pew Research Center survey found that about a third of Americans say they’ve had an online shopping scam happen to them. That figure puts the problem squarely in the mainstream, not on the fringes of the internet. ...