Pew Research

Nearly one in three Americans has faced an online shopping scam – here’s how to stay safe If you’ve ever clicked a link for a deal that seemed too good to be true, or sent money through a payment app only to never receive the item, you’re not alone. According to a recent Pew Research Center survey, about one in three U.S. adults (32%) say they have experienced an online shopping scam. That figure is a reminder that fraud is not an edge case — it’s a routine risk for anyone who buys goods or services online. ...

1 in 3 Americans Have Fallen for an Online Shopping Scam – Here’s How to Stay Safe A new study from the Pew Research Center published in November 2025 puts a number on a problem many of us have suspected: about one in three U.S. adults say they have experienced an online shopping scam. With the holiday shopping season underway, that figure is a reminder that scams are not rare exceptions—they are a routine risk of buying online. Fortunately, most can be avoided with a few straightforward habits. ...

1 in 3 Americans Has Been Scammed While Shopping Online: Here’s How to Avoid It If you’ve ever clicked a deal that seemed too good to be true, you’re not alone. According to a Pew Research Center survey, about a third of Americans say they’ve had an online shopping scam happen to them. That’s roughly 32% of U.S. adults — a figure that underscores just how common these schemes have become. ...

1 in 3 Americans Has Been Scammed While Shopping Online – Here’s How to Protect Yourself If you shop online, the odds are not in your favor. According to a November 2025 study by the Pew Research Center, about a third of Americans say they’ve had an online shopping scam happen to them. That’s 32 percent of U.S. adults — a striking number that underscores how common these frauds have become. ...

1 in 3 Americans Hit by Online Shopping Scams – How to Protect Yourself Intro If you’ve ever clicked “Buy Now” on a deal that seemed too good to be true, only to receive nothing (or a knockoff that looks nothing like the listing), you’re far from alone. According to new data from the Pew Research Center, about a third of U.S. adults say they have experienced an online shopping scam. That’s a startling number—roughly 80 million people—and it means that many of us know someone who’s been burned, or have been burned ourselves. ...

Online Shopping Scams Hit 1 in 3 Americans: How to Protect Yourself If you’ve ever clicked a link for a great deal and ended up with nothing but an empty bank account, you’re far from alone. According to a recent survey by the Pew Research Center, about a third of Americans say they’ve had an online shopping scam happen to them. That’s roughly one in three adults. As holiday shopping season approaches, the risk is especially high. Here’s what the data shows and what you can do to avoid becoming a statistic. ...

1 in 3 Americans Has Been Scammed While Shopping Online: How to Protect Yourself If you’ve ever paid for something online that never arrived, or clicked a link in an email that led to a fake storefront, you’re not alone. According to a Pew Research Center survey from November 2025, about a third of Americans say they’ve had an online shopping scam happen to them. That’s a large enough number that it’s worth stepping back and looking at what’s actually going on, and what you can do about it. ...

1 in 3 Americans Have Been Scammed While Shopping Online — Here’s What to Watch For If you’ve ever clicked “buy now” on a deal that seemed too good to be true, only to realize later that the item never arrived or the payment siphoned more than expected, you’re not alone. According to a November 2025 report from the Pew Research Center, about a third of U.S. adults say they have experienced an online shopping scam. With the holiday season already amplifying e‑commerce traffic, that figure is a sobering reminder that fraudsters are actively refining their methods. ...

1 in 3 Americans Have Been Scammed While Shopping Online – Here’s How to Avoid It If you’ve ever bought something online that never arrived, or clicked a link that looked like a trusted store but turned out to be a fake, you’re far from alone. According to a November 2025 Pew Research Center survey, about one-third of U.S. adults say they have experienced an online shopping scam. That figure is striking, but not surprising to anyone who follows consumer fraud trends. ...

1 in 3 Americans Has Experienced an Online Shopping Scam – Here’s How to Protect Yourself Introduction A new survey from the Pew Research Center brings a troubling number into focus: about one in three U.S. adults say they have been the victim of an online shopping scam. The finding, published in November 2025, lands at a time when holiday shopping is in full swing and scammers are especially active. If you shop online regularly—and most of us do—understanding the scope of the problem and knowing how to avoid it is worth your time. ...