1 in 3 Americans Has Been Scammed Online Shopping: How to Protect Yourself Online shopping is convenient, but it also carries risk. According to a 2025 survey from the Pew Research Center, about a third of Americans say they have experienced an online shopping scam. That’s a large enough share that most of us either know someone affected or have been targeted ourselves. ...
That Google Alert Might Be a Scam: How to Spot the Latest Phishing Trick A new wave of phishing emails is hitting inboxes, and this one is unusually convincing. According to a recent report from Reader’s Digest, scammers are sending messages that look nearly identical to official Google communications—complete with realistic logos, formatting, and even fake account activity summaries. The goal is the same as always: trick you into clicking a link and handing over your credentials. But because the design is so polished, even cautious users have paused before realizing something is off. ...
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. ...
Don’t Get Fooled by This Google Scam That Looks Exactly Like the Real Thing If you use Gmail, Google Drive, or any other Google service, a convincing new phishing scam is worth knowing about. It mimics Google’s official login screens and notifications so closely that even experienced users have been caught off guard. This isn’t a hypothetical threat—the scam is actively circulating as of late April 2026, as reported by Reader’s Digest. ...
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 the New Google Scam That Looks Too Real (And What to Do If You Clicked) A convincing new phishing campaign is making the rounds, impersonating Google with a login page that looks nearly identical to the real thing. The scam, recently reported by Reader’s Digest, targets anyone who uses Gmail, Google Drive, or other Google services. Here’s how it works—and what you can do to avoid getting caught. ...
A New Google Scam Looks Surprisingly Real – Here’s How to Avoid It If you use Gmail, Google Drive, or any other Google service – and most of us do – there’s a new phishing scam circulating that’s worth understanding. According to a recent report from Reader’s Digest, the fraudsters have refined their approach. The fake emails and pop-ups look convincingly like real Google messages, and even people who are normally careful have been tricked. ...
How to Spot Social Media Scams Before They Cost You Money If you’ve ever scrolled past a Facebook ad for a heavily discounted designer bag or received a direct message from a stranger who seems too charming, you’ve encountered the front lines of one of the fastest-growing fraud channels. Last year alone, social media scams cost Americans billions, and older adults were hit especially hard, losing a reported $2.4 billion, according to the Federal Trade Commission. What’s worse, scammers are now using generative AI to make fake profiles, photos, and even video calls look disturbingly real. ...
How to Spot the Latest Google Phishing Scam That Looks Totally Real Another wave of phishing emails is making the rounds, and this one is unusually convincing. The scam works by replicating the look and feel of official Google notifications—like alerts about a suspicious sign‑in attempt, a document shared in Google Drive, or an account security warning. The messages appear to come from a legitimate Google address and often include the familiar Google logo and formatting. But the link inside leads to a fake login page designed to steal your credentials. ...
Social media scams cost Americans billions: 5 ways to protect yourself now Fraud has found a comfortable home on social media. According to Federal Trade Commission data, older Americans alone lost $2.4 billion to scams in 2024, and the total across all age groups runs much higher. Scammers are flooding Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and other platforms with fake storefronts, bogus investment offers, and impersonation attempts. Meanwhile, AI tools have made their messages and profiles more convincing than ever. Here is what is happening, why it matters, and what you can do about it. ...