Pew Research

Online Shopping Scams Are More Common Than You Think – Here’s How to Protect Yourself If you’ve ever bought something online that never arrived, or paid for a deal that turned out to be fake, you’re not alone. According to a 2025 Pew Research Center survey, about a third of Americans say they have experienced an online shopping scam. That’s a large share of the population, and the problem touches every age group and income level. ...

1 in 3 Americans Have Been Scammed While Shopping Online: Here’s How to Protect Yourself If you shop online—and almost everyone does these days—there’s a decent chance you or someone you know has been taken by a scam. According to a new Pew Research Center study published in November 2025, about a third of U.S. adults say they’ve experienced an online shopping scam. That’s a striking number, but it also reflects a reality: fraudsters are getting better at blending in with legitimate sellers. ...

Online shopping scams to watch and simple ways to avoid them Nearly one in three U.S. adults have experienced an online shopping scam, according to a 2025 Pew Research Center survey. That figure—about a third of Americans say they’ve had an online shopping scam happen to them—underscores just how common these schemes have become. Whether it’s a too-good-to-be-true deal on social media, a phishing email pretending to be a retailer, or a fake website that looks exactly like a trusted brand, the risk is real. ...

One in Three Americans Have Experienced an Online Shopping Scam: What You Need to Know According to a November 2025 report from the Pew Research Center, about a third of Americans say they’ve had an online shopping scam happen to them. The figure comes from a nationally representative survey of U.S. adults and underscores how common these frauds have become. Whether you shop on Amazon, social media, or independent websites, the odds are good that you or someone you know has encountered a scam. ...

1 in 3 Americans Has Been Hit by an Online Shopping Scam: How to Protect Yourself If you’ve ever bought something online that never arrived, or paid for a “deal” on social media only to get nothing in return, you’re far from alone. According to a November 2025 survey from the Pew Research Center, roughly one in three U.S. adults (32%) say they have experienced an online shopping scam. That figure is a reminder that fraud isn’t a fringe problem—it’s something a large share of shoppers have dealt with firsthand. ...

1 in 3 Americans Hit by an Online Shopping Scam: How to Avoid Being Next If you buy things online, you’re not alone in worrying about scams. New data from the Pew Research Center shows that roughly one in three U.S. adults say they have personally experienced an online shopping scam. That’s around 33% of Americans — a figure that should make anyone pause before clicking “Buy.” ...

1 in 3 Americans Hit by Online Shopping Scams: How to Shop Safely Introduction A recent study from the Pew Research Center found that roughly one in three Americans say they have experienced an online shopping scam. That number might surprise you, but if you’ve ever clicked a suspicious deal on social media or received a phishing email about a package you didn’t order, you’re far from alone. The problem is widespread, and it tends to spike around major shopping seasons. The good news is that most scams follow recognizable patterns, and you can avoid them with a few straightforward habits. ...

1 in 3 Americans Have Been Hit by an Online Shopping Scam: Here’s How to Stay Safe If you’ve ever bought something online that never arrived, received a counterfeit product, or clicked a link in an email that turned out to be a phishing attempt, you’re far from 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 shopping season already underway and online transactions at record levels, the risk of falling victim is higher than ever. This article breaks down what the data tells us about the most common scams, how to spot them before you lose money, and what to do if you think you’ve been taken. ...

One in Three Americans Has Been Scammed While Shopping Online – Here’s How to Avoid It If you shop online, you are not alone in worrying about getting tricked. New data from the Pew Research Center shows that about a third of American adults—33 percent—say they have personally experienced an online shopping scam. That number is high enough to make anyone pause before clicking “buy now.” But the good news is that most of these scams follow recognizable patterns. Understanding them can help you shop with much less risk. ...

1 in 3 Americans Have Been Hit by an Online Shopping Scam — Here’s How to Protect Yourself If you shop online—and most of us do—the odds that you’ve been targeted by a scam are higher than you might think. According to a 2025 Pew Research Center report, about a third of Americans say they have personally experienced an online shopping scam. That’s not just a few people falling for obvious traps. It suggests that deceptive sellers, fake websites, and phishing schemes are now a routine part of the e-commerce landscape. ...