As Americans' lives get busier, the popularity of e-commerce continues to grow. Total online retail sales reached $1.192 trillion in 2024, more than double what they were in 2019.¹ On Black Friday alone in 2025, U.S. shoppers spent $11.8 billion online—a 9% increase from 2024.²

Increasingly, older adults are choosing to do their shopping online, whether it's because of the time savings or the potential for lower prices. According to Statista, 88% of baby boomers buy online today.³

Online shopping: Balancing convenience with safety

Online shopping can be convenient and helpful, but it's important to take steps to protect your money. As more people shop online, scammers are finding new ways to trick shoppers into paying for fake products or sharing personal information. Having a few simple safety tools and tips can help you shop with confidence and avoid costly mistakes.

Below are some important questions to ask yourself when it comes to staying safe during your online shopping experience:

1. What do I need to be aware of before making an online purchase?
2. How do I stay secure when I'm ready to buy? 
3. After I shop and complete my purchase, what do I need to know to report a scam, fraud, or possible purchase of a counterfeit product?

Safe online shopping before you make your purchase

When you’re browsing online for a particular product or service:

• Always use a trusted online shopping “store” for your purchases: Beware of phony online shopping sites that often reside on social media sites that may offer enticing prices.
  
  Check out any unfamiliar stores with the with the Better Business Bureau.  Their site can help you weed out phony online shopping sites.  When shopping, consider using trusted online stores like Amazon, which offers protections for consumers shopping. For example, the A-to-z Guarantee for items purchased on their site can help you resolve any issues with third-party vendors.
• Protect your privacy and security: Brush-up on the latest privacy and security settings on all of your devices; Engage privacy settings, enable “cookie” choices, and clear your “browser history” on a regular basis to avoid unwanted marketing from companies.
• Be aware of fake reviews of products: Customer reviews are an important element of the online shopping process and assist many shoppers in their purchases. Amazon reports that “last year 125 million customers contributed nearly 1.5 billion reviews and ratings to our stores providing future Amazon shoppers with transparent insights into the products they were considering.”
  
  Unfortunately, fake reviews of online products are a problem that plague online stores, and some are working diligently to weed them out. With the goal of ensuring every review in Amazon’s stores is trustworthy and reflects customers’ actual experiences, Amazon proactively blocked over 250 million suspected fake reviews from its stores in 2023.
• Shop smart to avoid counterfeit items: The online marketplace is brimming with counterfeit items that shopkeepers are working hard to eliminate. Online retailers have expanded anti-counterfeit strategies to eliminate fake goods from their site using new tools.  Etsy stepped up efforts to eliminate fake goods from its site by releasing a transparency report and adding a portal to report alleged copyright violations. And eBay purchased 3PM Shield, a provider of AI marketplace tools, which aims to “enhance its ability to address suspicious or harmful seller behavior, and potentially problematic items.” 
• Watch out for online scams, such as “phishing,” that target older adults: Online scam artists are getting more competent and creative at committing acts of fraud online, with older adults often finding themselves unfortunate victims of these scams.
  
  One popular scam that targets older adults is the “phishing scam.” Scammers use email or text messages that look like they’re from a company you know or trust, such as your bank, credit card company, or an online store. Phishing emails request your personal information, such as a password or Social Security number, to verify your account—or they may ask that you update your credit card information. Scammers then use that information to steal your money or identity.
  
  To avoid a phishing scam, carefully check the email addresses to makes sure they are from a company you know and trust (with a scam, usually the email address is off by a letter or two).  A dose of healthy skepticism is in order if you receive any unsolicited emails asking for your personal and/or financial information.
• Bargain hunters, beware: If a deal seems too good to be true, it probably is! Be cautious of any unsolicited email offers and special deals that ask you to click on a link. These links may take you to a realistic looing but illegitimate website where your personal information can easily be stolen.

Safe online shopping before when you're ready to buy

Ready to make your purchase? Some safeguards:

• Make sure you are on a secure site: When it’s time to enter your financial or other sensitive information, always make sure you’re on a secure site. Look for the address bar at the top of the screen to change from “http” to “https” when asked to input financial information, such as a credit card number. This indicates it will be transmitted securely.
• Use a credit card for your purchases: If a purchase is made with your credit card, you can always dispute a charge. Federal law limits your liability to $50 if there’s an unauthorized charge to your account, and if you report it to your credit card company as soon as you discover it, they will often remove the charge entirely.

Protecting yourself after online shopping

Now that you've made a purchase:

• Watch out for “impersonation scams” where scammers attempt to gather your personal identification or financial information by posing as one of your trusted online retailers. During or following shopping transactions, you could receive notice of problems with a delivery that requires you to call a new number, or to enter personal identifying information. Be wary of these unsolicited contacts, and check the Better Business Bureau for more information on these scams. 
• Report any scams or fraud that you experience online: The Federal Trade Commission advises that "If you have a problem when you shop online, try to work it out directly with the seller or site owner. If that doesn't work, you can report it to
  • The FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov
  • Your state attorney general
  • Your state’s consumer protection agency

More about safe online shopping

For additional information on online shopping safety, check out:

• Top 5 Financial Scams Targeting Older Adults (NCOA)
• Protecting Yourself From Payment Scams in the Virtual World (NCOA and Zelle)
• Online Shopping: Federal Trade Commission Consumer Advice
• Online Shopping Scams (AARP)
• Fraud Prevention Tips (Fraud.org of the National Consumers League)
• Amazon: Identifying Whether an Email, Phone Call, Text Message, or Webpage is from Amazon
  • Report Something Suspicious
  • Avoiding Payment Scams
  • Common Gift Card Scams

Build your digital skills

A key part of staying safe while shopping online is knowing how to confidently and safely navigate the digital world. You can strengthen your digital skills with these free, self-paced online courses from IBM SkillsBuild:

• Digital Literacy: Explore what digital literacy is and why it matters in everyday life and work, get comfortable using basic digital tools and web browsers, and practice safe habits to protect your information.

• Digital Mindset: Build a digital mindset by developing the skills and habits you need to use technology productively at work and in your everyday life.

Upon finishing each course, you’ll get a digital credential you can use to enhance your resume. Signing up is easy! All you need is a working email address. Then:

• Click on one of the course links above.
• Create a free account using your email or Google account.
• Click ‘Enroll’ and start learning.

 

Sources

1. Digital Commerce 360. US ecommerce sales in 2024 more than double those of 2019. March 3, 2025. Found on the internet at https://www.digitalcommerce360.com/article/us-ecommerce-sales/

2. CBS News. U.S. consumers spent a record $11.8 billion online during Black Friday sales. November 29, 2025. Found on the internet at https://www.cbsnews.com/news/u-s-consumers-spent-a-record-11-8-billion-online-during-black-friday-sales/

3. Statista. Senior online shopping behavior - statistics & facts. December 17, 2025. Found on the internet at https://www.statista.com/statistics/469184/us-digital-buyer-share-age-group/