Holiday Shopping

1 in 3 Americans Hit by an Online Shopping Scam – Here’s How to Stay Safe If you’ve ever clicked on a too-good-to-be-true deal and ended up with nothing but a lost payment, you’re far from alone. According to a November 2025 Pew Research Center survey, 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 reminder that fraudulent sellers and fake storefronts have become a routine part of the digital marketplace. ...

1 in 3 Americans Has Experienced an Online Shopping Scam: Here’s How to Stay Safe If you’ve ever clicked a too-good-to-be-true deal and ended up with nothing to show for it, you’re far from alone. A new Pew Research Center report, published in late 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 – and the numbers are even higher for younger shoppers. ...

How to Avoid Online Shopping Scams This Holiday Season: Advice from the FTC The holiday shopping season is a busy time for consumers—and for scammers. According to the Federal Trade Commission, Americans reported losing a record $12.5 billion to fraud in 2024, and many of those losses happen during the final months of the year. Fake websites, phishing emails, and deals that look too good to be true are especially common as people rush to buy gifts. ...

How to Spot and Avoid Online Shopping Scams This Holiday Season The holiday shopping season is prime time for scammers. According to the Federal Trade Commission, consumers reported losing $12.5 billion to fraud in 2024 — a significant jump from previous years. As more people hunt for deals online, scammers are busy setting up fake stores, sending phishing emails, and pushing too-good-to-be-true offers on social media. This guide lays out practical steps, based on official FTC advice, to help you shop safely and avoid becoming another statistic. ...

1 in 3 Americans Have Faced an Online Shopping Scam: How to Protect Yourself If you’ve ever clicked “Buy Now” on a site that looked a little off, or sent money via a payment app for an item that never arrived, you’re far from alone. A new study from the Pew Research Center, released in late 2025, found that about a third of U.S. adults say they have personally experienced an online shopping scam. With holiday shopping reaching its peak, that number is likely to climb. Here’s what the data shows and, more importantly, what you can do to keep your money safe. ...

One in Three Americans Hit by Online Shopping Scams: How to Stay Safe According to a 2025 Pew Research Center survey, roughly one in three U.S. adults say they have been the victim of an online shopping scam. That number may sound high, but anyone who regularly shops online—especially through social media or unfamiliar websites—knows how easy it is to get burned. As holiday shopping ramps up and social commerce continues to grow, understanding the landscape of these scams and knowing how to defend against them is more important than ever. ...

How to Avoid Online Shopping Scams: What the Data Shows and What You Can Do If you shop online, you are not alone in worrying about getting scammed. A recent survey from the Pew Research Center, published in November 2025, found that roughly one in three Americans say they have experienced an online shopping scam firsthand. That figure is worth pausing over, especially as the holiday shopping season ramps up and scam artists become more active. ...

1 in 3 Americans Have Been Scammed While Shopping Online: How to Avoid the Latest Tricks If you’ve been the victim of an online shopping scam, you’re far from alone. New data from Pew Research Center, released in November 2025, finds 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 figure that should give any regular shopper pause. ...

One in Three Shoppers Has Been Scammed Online: Here’s How to Avoid Being Next If you’ve ever bought something online and never received it, or clicked a promising deal only to find your credit card charged for something you didn’t order, you’re not alone. According to a recent Pew Research Center survey, roughly one in three Americans say they’ve had an online shopping scam happen to them. That figure is a stark reminder that fraudulent sellers and bogus offers are not rare edge cases — they’re a regular part of the modern shopping landscape. ...

How to Spot and Avoid Online Shopping Scams This Season Online shopping is convenient, but every holiday season brings a surge in scams. According to the Federal Trade Commission, Americans lost $8.8 billion to fraud in 2022, and many of those losses came from shopping-related schemes. The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation have recently issued alerts about fake websites, phishing emails, and too‑good‑to‑be‑true deals that target shoppers — especially veterans and seniors. This article draws on guidance from VA News (.gov) to help you watch out for scams and stay safe while online shopping. ...