One of the lasting effects of the pandemic is that Americans continue to shop heavily online—and the trend shows no signs of slowing. According to eCommerce statistics, U.S. retail e-commerce sales are projected to reach $1.47 trillion in 2025, up nearly 10% from 2024’s $1.34 trillion, and analysts expect the market to surpass $2.5 trillion by 2030. E-commerce now accounts for roughly 18% of all U.S. retail sales, and more than 57% of Americans prefer online shopping over in-store experiences, according to Analyzify.com. This shift is fueled by convenience, competitive pricing, and innovations like AI-powered shopping assistants and personalized recommendations.
Cyber Monday remains the biggest online shopping day of the year. In 2024, consumers spent a record $13.3 billion on Cyber Monday, a 7.3% year-over-year increase, with peak spending hitting $15.8 million per minute between 8 p.m. and 10 p.m. Mobile shopping dominated, accounting for 57% of sales, and “Buy Now, Pay Later” services contributed nearly $1 billion in transactions. Looking ahead, Cyber Monday 2025 is projected to hit $14.2 billion, continuing the upward trajectory. But as online spending grows, so do risks: the FTC reports U.S. consumers lost $12.5 billion to fraud in 2024, a 25% jump from 2023, with investment and imposter scams leading the way. AARP surveys show that 42% of adults have experienced fraud, and scammers increasingly use tactics like fake fees, gift card payments, and cryptocurrency schemes to exploit shoppers.
There are warning signs to look for and best practices you can use to ensure you are not a cybercrime victim on Cyber Monday. Here are six of them:
- Some scams are not as easy to spot as bad actors often copy company logos, images, and branding to imitate legitimate websites. These scammers target online shoppers via email, mobile phone, and social media schemes to lure them to a false website. Make sure the website you are going to is the company's actual site. Check the URL and compare it to the URL for a company search.
- When purchasing online, do not click on any ads. Do not click on any email links. Instead, go directly to the website from your browser by typing in the web address. Before making a purchase, research the vendor, including complaints and reviews.
- Be on the lookout for emails or texts from companies claiming to be delivery companies, such as FedEx or UPS, saying that you have a shipment from a friend or family member. The email or text will include a link to a fake website that asks for your credit card to pay for shipping (and then steals your credit card information).
- If it's too good to be true, it probably isn't. If a discount on an item exceeds 50%, it may be a scam, so be wary.
- For the most protection, always make online purchases using your credit card. Avoid using debit or prepaid cards. There is a general liability limit of $50 for fraudulent credit card charges, and most credit card companies offer 100% purchase protection. This protection is not provided on debit or prepaid cards.
- Scammers may also send official-looking emails claiming to be from Amazon, Walmart, Best Buy, Costco, etc. Amazon recommends that if you receive such an email, first go to your orders on Amazon to "see if there is an order that matches the details in the email correspondence."
Buyers also need to be aware of phone call scams. Scammers will try to trick unwary people by offering holiday deals or asking for charitable donations in exchange for login credentials, credit card information, or bank account numbers. And if the caller asks for payment with a gift card, that's probably a scam. Legitimate organizations will not ask for payment with a gift card. A sure way to avoid fraudulent phone calls is not to answer any call that is an unknown number.
Shopping online this holiday season can offer great deals, but you need to be careful. Cybercriminals invest a lot of time and effort to try and scam you out of your money, so thoroughly examine whom you are buying from before you make your purchases.
