Pew Research

1 in 3 Americans Has Been Hit by an Online Shopping Scam: How to Avoid Being Next Nearly one out of every three U.S. adults reports having experienced an online shopping scam, according to a new Pew Research Center survey. That figure is a reminder that fraud isn’t limited to sketchy emails from foreign princes anymore—it’s woven into the everyday experience of buying things online. Whether you’re a seasoned deal hunter or someone who buys a few items a year, the risk is real. ...

One in Three Americans Has Faced an Online Shopping Scam: Here’s How to Protect Yourself Intro If you’ve ever clicked “buy now” on a suspiciously cheap item and later found the website vanished, you’re not alone. 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. That’s roughly 33% of U.S. adults who have lost money, received counterfeit goods, or had their payment details stolen after someone posed as a legitimate seller. ...

1 in 3 Americans Has Faced an Online Shopping Scam: Here’s How to Protect Yourself The convenience of buying everything from groceries to electronics with a few clicks has made online shopping a daily habit for millions. But that convenience comes with a real risk. According to a Pew Research Center survey published in November 2025, about a third of Americans say they have experienced an online shopping scam. That is not a small fraction of unlucky people—it is a widespread problem that touches nearly every demographic. ...

1 in 3 Americans hit by online shopping scams: Here’s how to protect yourself If you’ve ever bought something online that never arrived, or clicked a link in a too-good-to-be-true deal only to find your credit card charged for something you never ordered, you’re not alone. According to a 2025 report from the Pew Research Center, about a third of U.S. adults say they have experienced an online shopping scam. That’s roughly 80 million people. ...

Online Shopping Scams Are on the Rise: How to Spot and Avoid Them If you shop online, the odds are not in your favor. According to a recent Pew Research Center report, about a third of Americans say they’ve had an online shopping scam happen to them. That statistic covers everything from never receiving an item to having their financial information stolen after entering it on a fraudulent website. With another busy shopping season underway, it’s worth understanding how these scams work—and what you can do to avoid becoming a number. ...

1 in 3 Americans Have Been Scammed While Shopping Online – Here’s How to Protect Yourself The convenience of ordering from your couch comes with a real risk: according to a recent Pew Research Center report, roughly one in three U.S. adults say they have personally experienced an online shopping scam. That’s not a fringe problem — it’s a mainstream hazard that touches millions of households. ...

1 in 3 Americans Has Been Scammed While Shopping Online: How to Protect Yourself It’s a statistic that should give any online shopper pause: 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. That means millions of people have paid for goods that never arrived, handed over credit card details to fake sites, or lost money through payment apps to sellers who vanished. ...

About a Third of Americans Say They’ve Had an Online Shopping Scam Happen to Them – How to Avoid Becoming a Statistic If you’ve ever clicked “Buy Now” on a deal that seemed too good to be true, you’re not alone. A new survey from the Pew Research Center, published in November 2025, found that 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 number that should give any online shopper pause. As holiday shopping and seasonal sales create more opportunities for fraud, understanding how these scams work and how to protect yourself is more important than ever. ...

Nearly 1 in 3 Americans Has Been Hit by an Online Shopping Scam — 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 a fake listing, you’re not alone. New research from the Pew Research Center shows that about one in three U.S. adults say they have experienced an online shopping scam. With the holiday season approaching, that number is likely to climb as scammers step up their efforts. ...

Nearly 1 in 3 Americans Report an Online Shopping Scam: How to Stay Safe Online shopping has become second nature for most of us, but with convenience comes risk. According to a 2025 Pew Research Center survey, roughly one in three U.S. adults say they have personally experienced an online shopping scam. That number is a reminder that fraud is not an edge case — it’s a common part of the digital marketplace. ...