Online Shopping Scams

One in Three Americans Has Fallen for an Online Shopping Scam: What to Know If you shop online regularly, you may be surprised—or sadly not—by a new statistic from the Pew Research Center: about a third of U.S. adults say they’ve personally experienced an online shopping scam. That revelation, published in November 2025, confirms that fraud isn’t an edge case anymore; it’s a common risk for ordinary consumers. ...

One in Three Americans Has Been Hit by an Online Shopping Scam — Here’s How to Avoid It Intro With the holiday shopping season in full swing and online spending at record levels, a new survey from the Pew Research Center delivers a sobering statistic: about a third of Americans say they’ve had an online shopping scam happen to them. The data, collected in July 2025, underscores how widespread these schemes have become and why it’s worth taking a few minutes to review your own shopping habits before clicking “buy.” ...

One in Three Americans Has Been Scammed Shopping Online. Here’s How to Avoid It. If you’ve ever bought something online that never arrived, or clicked a link from a social media ad and ended up on a site that looked real but wasn’t, you’re not alone. New data from the Pew Research Center shows that about a third of Americans say they’ve experienced an online shopping scam. That’s roughly 33 percent of U.S. adults—and the number may be higher since many scams go unreported. ...

1 in 3 Americans Have Been Scammed Online Shopping: Here’s How to Avoid It If you’ve ever bought something online that never arrived, or paid for a product that turned out to be counterfeit, you’re not alone. According to a 2025 Pew Research Center survey, roughly one in three American adults (35 percent) say they have experienced an online shopping scam. That number is high enough that most of us either know someone affected or have been affected ourselves. And with more people buying through social media ads, unfamiliar websites, and peer‑to‑peer marketplaces, the risk isn’t going away. This article explains the most common scams and what you can do to avoid them. ...

How to Avoid Online Shopping Scams: 1 in 3 Americans Have Been Hit If you’ve ever bought something online that never arrived—or worse, handed over your card details to a site that turned out to be fake—you’re not alone. ...

1 in 3 Americans Has Been Scammed Online Shopping — Here’s How to Avoid It If you’ve ever bought something online that never arrived, or paid for a “deal” that turned out to be fake, you’re far from alone. New data from Pew Research Center, published in November 2025, found that about a third of Americans (34%) say they have experienced an online shopping scam. As holiday shopping ramps up, that number is likely to climb. Understanding the most common tricks—and knowing a few simple precautions—can make the difference between a successful purchase and a costly mistake. ...

How to Spot Online Shopping Scams Before They Cost You If you shop online—and most of us do—you have almost certainly encountered a scam attempt. Fake websites, phishing emails, and too-good-to-be-true deals are everywhere. Government agencies like the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) regularly warn consumers about these threats. Their guidance is especially aimed at veterans and seniors, who are frequent targets, but the advice applies to anyone with a credit card and an internet connection. ...

How to Spot Online Shopping Scams: What Government Alerts Can Teach Us Online shopping has become routine for most of us, but scammers have become just as routine in trying to steal your money and personal information. Government agencies, including the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), regularly issue warnings about the latest tactics. Their advice is practical, tested against real threats, and often the same across multiple agencies—which means it’s worth paying attention to. ...

Watch Out for Scams and Stay Safe While Online Shopping: Advice from the VA and FDIC Online shopping has become routine for most of us, but it also attracts fraudsters looking to steal money or personal information. The Department of Veterans Affairs and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation have published multiple warnings about these threats. Whether you’re a veteran, a family member, or just someone who buys things on the internet, understanding the common tactics and how to protect yourself is worth a few minutes of attention. ...

1 in 3 Americans Has Experienced an Online Shopping Scam: How to Stay Safe If you’ve ever bought something online that never arrived, or paid for an item through a payment app only to realize the seller was fake, you’re far from alone. New data from the Pew Research Center, published in November 2025, shows that about a third of American adults say they have personally experienced an online shopping scam. That figure is a stark reminder that scam attempts are now a routine part of buying things on the internet. ...