Holiday Shopping Safety

How to Avoid an Online Shopping Scam This Holiday Season – Advice from the FTC The holiday shopping season is a busy time for both buyers and scammers. According to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), Americans reported losing $12.5 billion to fraud in 2024 alone – a sharp increase from $10 billion the year before. Online shopping scams were among the top categories, and the tactics scammers use are becoming harder to spot. This guide is based on FTC consumer advice and recent fraud data, and it will help you recognize warning signs, protect your money, and know what to do if you’ve been targeted. ...

1 in 3 Americans Hit by an Online Shopping Scam: How to Protect Yourself This Season Intro A new report from Pew Research Center puts a number on something many of us have suspected: online shopping scams are widespread. According to the study published in November 2025, about one in three Americans say they have experienced an online shopping scam. That’s a large share of the population, and with holiday shopping season in full swing, the risk only increases. ...

Nearly 1 in 3 Americans has been caught in an online shopping scam. Here’s how to avoid it. The numbers are sobering. According to a recent Pew Research Center survey, about one in three U.S. adults say they have experienced an online shopping scam. That figure comes from a nationally representative study published in November 2025, and it reinforces what many security researchers have been saying for years: online shopping fraud is not a rare event—it is a routine risk for anyone who buys things over the internet. ...