Shopping Safety

How to Avoid Online Shopping Scams: What the Latest Pew Data Tells Us If you shop online, you’ve probably seen the warnings: fake websites, too-good-to-be-true deals, phishing emails disguised as order confirmations. But new data from the Pew Research Center, published in November 2025, puts a number on the scale of the problem. About one in three Americans say they have experienced an online shopping scam. That figure comes from a broader survey on online scams and attacks released in July 2025, but the shopping-specific finding was highlighted just as the holiday season kicked off. ...

1 in 3 Americans Hit by Online Shopping Scams: Here’s How to Avoid Being Next If you’ve ever clicked a too-good-to-be-true deal on social media and ended up with an empty package—or nothing at all—you’re far from alone. New research from Pew Research Center, released in November 2025, found that roughly one in three U.S. adults say they have experienced an online shopping scam. With the holiday shopping season now in full swing, that number might well climb unless we get better at spotting the traps before we fall in. ...

How to avoid online shopping scams: Practical tips to shop safely Online shopping has become part of daily life for most people, but it also attracts scammers looking to steal money and personal information. Government sources like the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) regularly issue reminders about staying safe while shopping online. The advice applies to anyone, not just veterans. This article covers the most common types of online shopping scams, why they continue to work, and what you can do to protect yourself. ...