Consumer Protection

Online Shopping Scams Are Getting Smarter – Here’s How to Stay Safe If you’ve shopped online in the past year, you’ve probably noticed deals that seem too good to be true. Some of them are. According to recent warnings from the Department of Veterans Affairs, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, and the Federal Trade Commission, online shopping scams are becoming more sophisticated and harder to spot. Veterans and military families are especially targeted, but anyone with a credit card can be caught off guard. ...

One in Three Americans Has Fallen for an Online Shopping Scam: Here’s How to Stay Safe A new survey from the Pew Research Center, published in November 2025, sheds light on a problem many of us have suspected: online shopping scams are widespread. Roughly one in three American adults say they have personally experienced an online shopping scam. That figure is not just a statistic—it reflects millions of real losses, ranging from a few dollars for a product that never arrived to significant financial damage from stolen payment information. ...

1 in 3 Americans Have Been Hit by an Online Shopping Scam: Here’s How to Stay Safe A new study from the Pew Research Center puts a number on something many of us have suspected: online shopping scams are far from rare. According to the survey, about a third of U.S. adults (34%) say they have personally experienced an online shopping scam. That figure covers everything from paying for items that never arrive to receiving counterfeit goods or having payment credentials stolen through fake retailer sites. ...

How to Avoid Fake Prom Dress Websites This Season Prom season is around the corner, and with it comes a familiar wave of online shopping scams. Every year, scammers set up fake websites that appear to sell prom dresses at steep discounts, only to take shoppers’ money and deliver nothing. Recent alerts from the Better Business Bureau (BBB) serve as a timely reminder that these scams are active right now. ...

Beware of Fake Prom Dress Websites: How to Spot an Online Scam Before You Buy Prom season is here, and along with the search for the perfect dress comes a familiar risk: online scammers setting up fake storefronts. The Better Business Bureau (BBB) recently issued an alert for shoppers in the Hudson Valley, warning that fraudulent websites posing as dress retailers are circulating. While the alert targeted a specific region, the tactics they describe are used nationwide. If you or your teen are shopping online for prom attire, it’s worth taking a few minutes to understand how these scams work and how to avoid them. ...

Don’t Trust AI With Your Secrets: A Practical Guide to Privacy Risks You’ve probably asked a chatbot for help planning a trip, drafting an email, or even thinking through a personal problem. The convenience is real. But behind that helpful interface lies a less visible trade-off: your data. A recent article from Escudo Digital titled “The privacy myth: why you shouldn’t trust AI with your secrets” puts a spotlight on a growing concern that many users overlook. This isn’t about scaring you away from useful tools—it’s about understanding what you’re really agreeing to when you type a message into a chat window. ...

Fake Prom Dress Websites: How to Spot and Avoid Them Prom season is a busy time for both shoppers and scammers. Every year, the Better Business Bureau (BBB) receives reports of fraudulent websites that appear to sell prom dresses at irresistible prices, but instead take consumers’ money and personal information — or deliver nothing at all. This year, the BBB issued an alert specifically for shoppers in the Hudson Valley, New York, though the scam is not limited to that region. If you or your teen are shopping online for a prom dress, understanding how to recognize these fake sites can save you time, money, and frustration. ...

New Pew Data: One in Three Americans Has Been Scammed While Shopping Online. Here’s What to Know. The numbers are striking. According to a November 2025 survey from the Pew Research Center, roughly one in three U.S. adults say they have experienced an online shopping scam. That’s about 32% of the population — a figure that should give any regular online shopper reason to pause. ...

Prom Dress Scams Are Everywhere – Here’s How to Avoid Them Prom season is in full swing, and if you’re hunting for the perfect dress online, you’re not alone. Unfortunately, scammers are counting on it. The Better Business Bureau recently issued an alert for the Hudson Valley region warning shoppers about fraudulent websites that take your money and never deliver. While the alert originated locally, the problem is nationwide, and it pays to know the warning signs before you click “buy.” ...

One in Three Americans Has Been Scammed Shopping Online. Here’s How to Avoid It. If you’ve ever bought something online that never arrived, or clicked a link from a social media ad and ended up on a site that looked real but wasn’t, you’re not alone. New data from the Pew Research Center shows that about a third of Americans say they’ve experienced an online shopping scam. That’s roughly 33 percent of U.S. adults—and the number may be higher since many scams go unreported. ...