Pew Research

One in Three Americans Have Fallen for 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 fake, you’re far from alone. According to a recent Pew Research Center survey, about a third of Americans say they’ve had an online shopping scam happen to them. That figure is striking—and it underscores just how common these schemes have become. ...

1 in 3 Americans Has Been Hit by an Online Shopping Scam: How to Dodge the Next One If you’ve ever clicked “buy” on a deal that seemed too good to be true only to receive nothing—or a fake product—you’re far from alone. A new survey from the Pew Research Center found that roughly one in three U.S. adults say they have personally experienced an online shopping scam. That’s about 33% of the adult population. And as holiday shopping ramps up, the numbers are worth paying attention to. ...

Online Shopping Scams Are More Common Than You Think — How to Spot and Avoid Them The numbers are sobering: about a third of Americans say they have experienced an online shopping scam, according to a November 2025 Pew Research Center study. If you have not yet encountered one, the odds suggest you probably will – especially as holiday shopping moves online and fraudsters sharpen their tactics. ...

1 in 3 Americans have been scammed while shopping online. Are you next? If you’ve ever bought something online and never received it, or clicked a link in a text about a package delivery and later saw strange charges on your card, you are not alone. New data from the Pew Research Center, published in November 2025, shows that roughly one in three American adults say they have experienced an online shopping scam. That number is high enough that it’s worth understanding what these scams look like and how to avoid becoming part of the statistic. ...

1 in 3 Americans Has Fallen for an Online Shopping Scam — Here’s How to Protect Yourself If you’ve ever clicked a “too good to be true” deal online and ended up with an empty wallet instead of a package, you’re far from alone. According to a November 2025 Pew Research Center study, about a third of Americans say they have experienced an online shopping scam. That’s roughly 33 percent of U.S. adults who have lost money, had their personal information stolen, or dealt with fraudulent merchandise. The number is a sobering reminder that online shopping can be a minefield, especially during the holiday season when scams spike. ...

1 in 3 Americans Has Experienced an Online Shopping Scam — Are You Protected? If you buy things online—whether from major retailers, social media marketplaces, or through a payment app—you’re not alone if something has gone wrong. A new survey from the Pew Research Center found that roughly one in three U.S. adults say they have personally had an online shopping scam happen to them. That’s a high enough number that it’s worth stepping back and understanding what’s really going on—and what you can do to avoid becoming another statistic. ...

1 in 3 Americans Hit by Online Shopping Scams: How to Shop Safely Now If you’ve ever bought something online that never arrived, or clicked a link that looked like a major retailer but turned out to be a fake, you’re far from alone. According to new data from the Pew Research Center, about a third of Americans say they’ve had an online shopping scam happen to them. That figure—roughly 33% of U.S. adults—is a reminder that these frauds are not rare outliers. They happen to ordinary people, often when they’re just trying to grab a deal or buy from a brand they trust. ...

1 in 3 Americans Have Been Scammed While Shopping Online – Here’s How to Stay Safe If you shop online, you’re not alone in worrying about fraud. New data from the Pew Research Center, released in November 2025, shows just how widespread the problem has become: about a third of Americans say they’ve had an online shopping scam happen to them. With holiday shopping in full swing, that number is likely to climb. ...

1 in 3 Americans Have Been Hit by an Online Shopping Scam: How to Protect Yourself A new report from the Pew Research Center confirms what many consumer advocates have suspected for years: online shopping scams are not a fringe problem—they affect a significant portion of the population. According to the data, about a third of U.S. adults say they have personally experienced an online shopping scam. That figure is large enough that most readers likely know someone who has been burned. ...

1 in 3 Americans Has Been Scammed While Shopping Online – What You Need to Know If you’ve ever clicked a too-good-to-be-true deal on social media, paid for an item through a peer-to-peer app, or ordered from a site that looked professional but turned out to be fake, you’re not alone. According to a new Pew Research Center survey, roughly one in three U.S. adults say they have personally experienced an online shopping scam. With holiday shopping in full swing and more transactions happening outside traditional e-commerce platforms, understanding the scope of the problem and how to protect yourself has never been more timely. ...