Scam Awareness

Meta Under Fire for Not Stopping Online Shopping Scams: What You Need to Know If you buy or sell items on Facebook Marketplace or Instagram, you’ve likely seen the warning signs—posts that look too good to be true, sellers who push for payment outside the platform, or messages that disappear after a transaction goes wrong. Now, Dutch regulators are publicly calling out Meta for not doing enough to stop these scams from happening in the first place. ...

How to Spot and Avoid Shopping Scams on Facebook and Instagram Right Now If you’ve bought or sold anything on Facebook Marketplace or Instagram, you’ve probably noticed that scams are everywhere. Dutch authorities recently made that official: after an investigation, they concluded that Meta isn’t doing nearly enough to protect users from online shopping fraud. For shoppers, that means the responsibility falls back on you. Here’s what’s happening, why it matters, and—most importantly—how to keep your money safe. ...

How to Spot Online Shopping Scams and Stay Safe — Practical Tips Online shopping is convenient, but it also attracts scammers. Phishing emails, fake stores, and too‑good‑to‑be‑true deals are common year‑round. Government agencies such as the VA, FDIC, and Federal Trade Commission regularly issue warnings about these threats. This article compiles practical advice from those sources to help you recognize scams and protect yourself. ...

How to Watch Out for Scams and Stay Safe While Online Shopping Online shopping has become a routine part of life for most people. But as e‑commerce grows, so do the number of scams designed to separate you from your money or steal your personal information. Recent alerts from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA News) and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) highlight the need for shoppers to stay alert year‑round, not just during the holidays. ...

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. ...

Almost 1 in 3 Americans Have Been Scammed Shopping Online: Here’s How to Protect Yourself If you’ve ever clicked a too-good-to-be-true ad on social media or bought something from an unfamiliar website only to receive nothing—or a counterfeit—you are far from alone. A recent Pew Research Center survey found that about a third of Americans say they’ve had an online shopping scam happen to them. That figure puts the problem squarely in the mainstream, not on the fringes of the internet. ...

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 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. ...

Online shopping scams hit 1 in 3 Americans: Here’s how to spot and avoid them If you’ve bought something online that never arrived, or clicked a link that led to a fake checkout page, you are far from alone. According to a new survey from the Pew Research Center, roughly one in three U.S. adults say they have personally experienced an online shopping scam. That number is a reminder that fraudulent listings, phony storefronts, and payment app tricks are no longer rare — they’ve become a standard risk of digital commerce. ...

How to Spot and Avoid Online Shopping Scams — Practical Advice from Government Experts Online shopping scams aren’t going away, and they’re getting harder to spot. Fake websites, phishing emails, and too-good-to-be-true deals cost consumers millions each year. Government agencies, including the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, regularly issue warnings about these threats. This guide brings together their advice to help you shop more safely. ...