Consumer Safety

Over 30% of Americans Have Been Hit by an Online Shopping Scam – Here’s How to Avoid It Intro If you shop online, you’re not alone in worrying about scams. A recent survey from the Pew Research Center found that roughly one in three U.S. adults has personally experienced an online shopping scam. That’s 32% of respondents, a figure that underscores just how common fraudulent schemes have become in the e-commerce landscape. ...

How to Spot Online Shopping Scams and Stay Safe: A Practical Guide Introduction Online shopping scams are not going away. Every year—especially around major sales events like Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and holiday seasons—fraudsters ramp up their efforts. But the threat is year-round. Government agencies from the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to the Department of Veterans Affairs have issued repeated warnings about fake storefronts, phishing emails, and deals that look too good to be true. This guide walks through what’s happening, why it matters, and what you can do to protect yourself. ...

1 in 3 Americans Has Been Hit by an Online Shopping Scam: How to Protect Yourself If you’ve ever clicked “buy” on a deal that seemed too good, only to receive nothing—or worse, a knockoff—you’re not alone. 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. That figure cuts across age groups, income levels, and shopping habits. With the holiday season approaching, the chances of running into a scam only increase. ...

1 in 3 Americans Have Been Scammed Shopping Online – Here’s How to Stay Safe According to a November 2025 report from the Pew Research Center, about one in three U.S. adults say they have personally experienced an online shopping scam. That figure is a reminder that as convenient as digital shopping is, it also carries real risks – especially during peak seasons when scammers become more active. ...

1 in 3 Americans Has Been Hit by an Online Shopping Scam – Here’s How to Avoid It If you shop online, you are not alone in worrying about scams. New data from the Pew Research Center, published in November 2025, confirms that roughly one in three U.S. adults has fallen victim to an online shopping scam. That number is high enough to deserve attention, especially as the holiday shopping season picks up and fraudsters become more active. ...

1 in 3 Americans Has Been Scammed Shopping Online — Here’s How to Avoid Being Next If you’ve ever bought something online that never arrived, or paid for a product that turned out to be a counterfeit, you’re not alone. According to a 2025 Pew Research Center report, about a third of Americans say they’ve had an online shopping scam happen to them. With holiday shopping season in full swing and deal-hunting at its peak, the risk is higher than usual. This article explains the latest data, why it matters, and—most importantly—how to protect yourself. ...

1 in 3 Americans Has Been Scammed While Shopping Online – What to Watch For If you’ve ever clicked a tempting ad for a deal that seemed too good to be true—and later realized the item never arrived or the website was fake—you’re far from alone. According to a recent Pew Research Center report, about a third of Americans say they’ve had an online shopping scam happen to them. That’s roughly one out of every three adults who regularly shop online. ...

How to Outsmart Online Shopping Scams and Stay Safe Online shopping scams are on the rise. The Federal Trade Commission reported that consumers lost nearly $8.8 billion to fraud in 2022, and shopping scams are a major piece of that. These days, phony websites, phishing emails, and fake social media ads are craftier than ever—AI-generated content makes them harder to spot. But you don’t need to be a cybersecurity expert to protect yourself. Here’s what you should know. ...

1 in 3 Americans Has Been Scammed While Shopping Online: What to Know If you’ve ever bought something online that never arrived, or clicked a link in an email that led to a fake storefront, you’re not 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—roughly 33% of U.S. adults—gives a sense of just how widespread these schemes have become. ...

Online Shopping Scams Hit 1 in 3 Americans: How to Protect Yourself A new survey from the Pew Research Center confirms what many regular online shoppers have suspected: scams are far more common than most people realize. According to the report, about a third of Americans say they’ve had an online shopping scam happen to them. That’s roughly 32% of U.S. adults—a number that may still undercount the problem since many victims never report it. ...