How to Avoid Online Shopping Scams: 1 in 3 Americans Are Victims Intro One in three Americans has experienced an online shopping scam, according to a November 2025 study from the Pew Research Center. The risk is especially high as holiday shopping ramps up, but the patterns are consistent year-round. Most scams follow a few recognizable templates, and knowing them can save you money and frustration. ...
How to Spot and Avoid Online Shopping Scams This Year Online shopping is convenient, but it also attracts scammers looking to take advantage of shoppers. Government agencies—including the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation—have issued warnings about rising fraud, particularly around holidays and seasonal sales. Veterans and seniors are often targeted, but anyone can fall victim to a well-crafted fake store or phishing email. ...
How to Spot Online Shopping Scams and Protect Your Money Online shopping has become second nature for most of us. It’s fast, convenient, and often cheaper than going to a store. Unfortunately, scammers have also learned to exploit this convenience. In recent months, government agencies including the Department of Veterans Affairs have warned consumers about a rise in online shopping fraud. The message is simple but important: know how to spot the tricks, and you can keep your money and personal information safe. ...
Online Shopping Scams Are on the Rise — Here’s How to Stay Safe Shopping online is convenient, but it also opens the door to scammers. In January 2026, the Department of Veterans Affairs published a reminder for veterans and their families to watch out for scams and stay safe while online shopping. Around the same time, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation warned about fraudsters posing as banks. These government alerts underscore a simple reality: online shopping scams are becoming more common and more sophisticated. ...
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. ...
Online Shopping Scams Are Everywhere — Here’s How to Protect Yourself Online shopping is convenient, but it also attracts scammers who know how to make fraudulent offers look legitimate. Government agencies like the VA and the FDIC have issued repeated warnings: fake websites, phishing emails, and payment scams are on the rise. The good news is that most of these scams follow predictable patterns. Once you know what to look for, you can spot them before losing money or personal data. ...
One in Three Americans Has Been Scammed While Shopping Online: How to Protect Yourself If you shop online, you’ve probably seen the warnings. But a new study from the Pew Research Center puts the threat in numbers: 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 figure likely undercounts those who didn’t realize they were scammed or didn’t report it. ...
Online Shopping Scams Are on the Rise: How to Protect Yourself In May 2026, Belarusian authorities reported that citizens logged roughly 400 online shopping scam attempts in a single day. That number is striking, but it’s not an isolated case—similar spikes have been recorded in other countries over the past year. Whether you live in Minsk, Manchester, or Manila, the tactics used by fraudsters are increasingly similar, and the risk for ordinary shoppers is real. ...
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. ...