Scam Study Synopsis

The privacy research company Incogni has conducted a study that analyzed 121,000 online shopping scam complaints filed with the Better Business Bureau (BBB) from January 2020 to September 2025. The dataset covers almost five years and provides the researchers with clear evidence of the varying trends in online shopping fraud. The researchers mainly aimed at discerning the types of scams that occur most frequently, and the signs that consumers should look out for, particularly in hectic shopping times such as the festive season.

How the Research Was Conducted

The researchers examined consumer reports which contained accounts of supposed cheating cases with online merchants. The investigation employed nine distinct "scam attributes" in order to group the grievances and discover trends. Moreover, in roughly 79,000 of such reports, they could also associate the complaints with certain product categories.

Key Trends in Scam Reports

The reports about scams for online shopping are online shopping scams reports that have extremely gone up in the last few years. Just in the year 2025, the figure was approximately 2,550 reports each month, the peak thus far. The complaints were divided as follows:

 

• 46% spoke of customer service being unresponsive.

 

• 35% referred to goods not being delivered.

 

• 17% included pretending to be a legitimate brand or website.

 

• 10% were about fake tracking, which got higher during the festive season.

Scams and Product Categories

Various categories of items were usually associated with different scam activities:

• Most fake tracking information were particularly with clothes and shoes, housewares, and items related to gardening.

 

• Health and beauty items were more often charged higher for unauthorized or recurring payments.

 

• Suspiciously cheap prices for tools and sports gear were often found at scam sites.

Holiday Shopping Risk Increases

The examination of the attributes of scams was carried out in the weeks prior and subsequent to the significant holidays. The holiday period saw the prevalence of different risky activities increasing:

• Fake tracking information increased 16%.

 

• Reports of delayed shipping increased 11%.

 

• Complaints about non-delivery increased 9%.

 

• Unresponsive support increased 5%.

 

• Brand impersonation increased 4%.

Patterns That Signal Possible Fraud

It was observed by researchers that scammers frequently combine several warning signs. To illustrate, a seller that exhibits not only counterfeit tracking information but also a shipping delay together with ignoring support is considerably more likely to be a cheat. Likewise, sites that impersonate actual brands by providing unbelievable prices usually result in non-delivery reports.

What This Means for Shoppers

Darius Belejevas, the leader of Incogni, stated that the greater knowledge of consumers on the common fraud patterns, the better will be their protection. Having recognizable signs and being aware of the usual scam conducts, online buyers will be able to take safer decisions and thus not lose their money.