Social Media Scams

How to Spot Shopping Scams on Facebook and Instagram (Even as Authorities Scrutinize Meta) If you’ve ever bought something through Facebook Marketplace or clicked an Instagram ad for a too-good deal, you’re not alone. These platforms have become huge marketplaces, but they’ve also become hunting grounds for scammers. Recently, Dutch authorities made it clear they think Meta isn’t doing enough to stop online shopping fraud. While regulators push for change, the reality is that most of the responsibility still falls on shoppers themselves. ...

Meta Isn’t Doing Enough to Stop Shopping Scams — Here’s How to Protect Yourself If you shop on Facebook Marketplace or Instagram Shopping, you’re probably familiar with the convenience of buying directly from sellers. But you may also have noticed listings that seem too good to be true, or messages asking you to pay outside the platform. Those are common signs of shopping scams, and Dutch authorities say Meta isn’t doing nearly enough to stop them. ...

Online Shopping Scams Hit a Third of Americans: How to Protect Yourself The holidays are prime time for hunting bargains online. But new data from the Pew Research Center should give any shopper pause: about a third of Americans say they’ve had an online shopping scam happen to them. With more people turning to social media, payment apps, and unfamiliar sellers for deals, the risk isn’t going away. Here’s what’s happening and how to shop smarter. ...

Think You’re Safe Shopping Online? New Pew Data Says 1 in 3 Americans Have Been Scammed If you’ve ever clicked “Buy Now” on a social media ad or sent money via Venmo for a secondhand item, you’re not alone—but you’re also part of a worrying trend. According to a new Pew Research Center report published in November 2025, about one in three U.S. adults say they have personally experienced an online shopping scam. That number is a sharp reminder that fraud is no longer a fringe problem; it’s hitting millions of ordinary shoppers. This article walks through what the data tells us, why certain platforms and habits increase your risk, and how you can shop smarter without giving up convenience. ...

1 in 3 Americans Have Been Scammed While Shopping Online: How to Avoid Being Next If you’ve ever bought something online that never arrived, or paid for a product that turned out to be counterfeit, you’re not alone. According to a November 2025 survey from the Pew Research Center, roughly one in three U.S. adults say they have experienced an online shopping scam. That’s a large enough number to suggest that virtually everyone who shops on the internet either knows someone affected or has been hit themselves. The question is: what can you do to avoid becoming part of that statistic? ...

1 in 3 Americans Has Been Hit by an Online Shopping Scam — Here’s How to Avoid Being Next If you’ve ever clicked a too-good-to-be-true deal, paid a stranger through a money app for an item that never arrived, or received a suspicious email about a package you didn’t order, you’re not alone. According to new data from the Pew Research Center, about a third of U.S. adults say they have experienced an online shopping scam. With holiday shopping ramping up, that number is a reminder that the convenience of buying online comes with real risks. ...

Social media scams are costing Americans billions — here’s how to avoid them If you use Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, or X, you’ve probably seen an ad for a cheap designer jacket, a message from an old friend with a link, or a profile of someone who seems too perfect. Some of these are harmless. Others are setups designed to take your money or your personal information. ...

Social Media Scams Cost Americans Billions: How to Protect Yourself Fraud is moving online, and social media platforms have become a prime hunting ground. In 2024, older Americans alone lost an estimated $2.4 billion to scams, according to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). The total losses across all age groups are likely much higher. With artificial intelligence making scams more convincing than ever, learning to spot the red flags is no longer optional—it’s essential. ...

Social media scams are exploding: How to spot them before you lose money If you use social media, you’ve probably seen a too-good-to-be-true ad or a direct message from someone you don’t know. These aren’t just annoyances—they’re part of a wave of fraud that cost older Americans alone an estimated $2.4 billion in 2024, according to the Federal Trade Commission. And as criminals adopt AI tools, the scams are getting harder to catch. ...

Social Media Scams Are Costing Americans Billions—Here’s How to Spot Them Introduction If you spend any time on social media, you’ve probably seen too‑good‑to‑be‑true deals, urgent messages from “friends,” or investment pitches that promise guaranteed returns. These aren’t just annoyances—they are part of a growing wave of fraud that the Federal Trade Commission says cost older Americans alone $2.4 billion in 2024. And the problem is only getting worse as scammers adopt artificial intelligence tools to make their pitches more convincing. ...