Online Shopping Fraud Statistics 2026
This page collects 54 figures on fraud that hits online shoppers and the merchants who sell to them: total reported fraud losses, non-delivery and fake shop scams, card-not-present fraud, the payment methods and channels scammers use, chargebacks, and stolen card data. Most figures cover 2024 and 2025 in the US, the UK, the European Economic Area, Canada and Australia, with a few Federal Reserve figures from 2023 and earlier where no newer official series exists. Sources are government agencies and regulators (FTC, FBI, Federal Reserve, ONS, ACCC, Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre, EBA and ECB), industry bodies (UK Finance, Cifas), the card networks Visa and Mastercard, the Nilson Report and Pew Research Center.
By the Comredix review desk · Updated November 13, 2026 · 54 numbers drawn from 23 publishers and reports
Short answer
US consumers reported losing $15.9 billion to fraud in 2025, up from over $12 billion in 2024, according to the FTC, and the FBI's IC3 logged $20.877 billion in losses from 1,008,597 complaints. Worldwide, payment card fraud losses were $33.41 billion in 2024 according to the Nilson Report, and remote (card-not-present) payments made up around 83% of card fraud in Europe according to the EBA and ECB. Pew Research Center found 31% of US adults have bought an item online that never arrived and were not refunded.
Headline numbers
- $15.9 billionUS consumers filed 3 million fraud reports with the FTC in 2025 and reported $15.9 billion in losses.Federal Trade Commission
- $20.877 billionThe FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center received 1,008,597 complaints in 2025 with $20.877 billion in reported losses, a 26% increase on 2024.Federal Bureau of Investigation
- 31%31% of US adults say they have bought an item online that never arrived and was not refunded, according to a Pew Research Center survey of 9,397 adults in April 2025.Pew Research Center
- $33.41 billionPayment card fraud losses worldwide fell 1.2% to $33.41 billion in 2024, according to the Nilson Report.Nilson Report
- 83%Remote card payments made up around 83% of card fraud in the EEA in 2024, though they were only around 28% of card payment value.European Banking Authority and European Central Bank
- 71 per centPurchase scams made up 71% of UK authorised push payment fraud cases in 2025, and their losses rose 20% to £118.1 million.UK Finance
- 45%Fraudulent chargebacks, from third-party criminals and first-party misuse combined, made up around 45% of merchant chargeback volume worldwide in 2025.Mastercard
- US$1.1BEnumeration attacks, the automated testing of card numbers on ecommerce sites, led to around US$1.1 billion in follow-on fraud in one year, according to Visa.Visa
Reading the numbers
Reported fraud losses keep setting records. The FTC received 3 million fraud reports in 2025 with $15.9 billion in losses, more than double the $6 billion reported in 2021, and the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center counted $20.877 billion, up 26% in a year. Investment scams drive most of the growth in both datasets, but shopping fraud is the scam most people actually meet: Pew Research Center found 31% of US adults have paid for an item online that never arrived and were never refunded, and shopping scams were the most reported scam with a loss in Australia in 2025.
Card-not-present fraud is where card fraud now lives. The EBA and ECB found that remote card payments made up only around 28% of card payment value in the EEA in 2024 but around 83% of card fraud. In the UK, remote purchase fraud cases rose 13% to 3.2 million in 2025, and UK Finance says these cases now outnumber all fraud categories combined for any year before 2024, even as the average case value fell to £132. Globally, the Nilson Report puts card fraud at $33.41 billion in 2024, with the US carrying 41.87% of losses on 26.31% of card volume.
The payment method shapes who pays. In the UK, purchase scams paid by bank transfer made up 71% of authorised push payment cases, and 66% of those scams started online. Card fraud usually ends in a dispute instead: the Federal Reserve found merchants absorbed 49.9% of US debit card fraud losses in 2023, and Mastercard says fraudulent chargebacks, from both criminals and genuine cardholders, made up around 45% of merchant chargeback volume in 2025. Each chargeback costs merchants an average of $128 in fees and internal costs.
Stolen card data fuels the cycle. Visa linked enumeration attacks, where criminals test guessed card numbers on checkout pages, to around US$1.1 billion in follow-on fraud in one year, and found that 85% to 93% of card accounts in two large dark web dumps had been exposed at least 12 months earlier. Cifas recorded an 84% rise in online retail account takeovers in the first half of 2026. Most of these figures understate the problem: Pew found 74% of people who lost money to an online scam did not report it to law enforcement.
How much consumers lose to fraud
- 1.
US consumers filed 3 million fraud reports with the FTC in 2025 and reported $15.9 billion in losses.
Federal Trade Commission, Prepared Statement of the Federal Trade Commission on The Rising Scam Economy (Mar 2026)
Exact wording at the source
In 2025, consumers submitted 3 million fraud reports to CSN and reported $15.9 billion in losses.
- 2.
Fraud losses reported to the FTC have grown every year since 2021, when consumers reported losing more than $6 billion.
Federal Trade Commission, Prepared Statement of the Federal Trade Commission on The Rising Scam Economy (Mar 2026)
Exact wording at the source
Consumers reported losing more than $6 billion in 2021, nearly $9 billion in 2022, over $10 billion in 2023, and over $12 billion in 2024.
- 3.
Investment scams were the costliest fraud type reported to the FTC in 2025, with $7.9 billion in losses.
Federal Trade Commission, FTC Testifies before the Joint Economic Committee on Agency's Efforts to Combat Fraud (Mar 2026)
Exact wording at the source
Consumers, however, reported losing the most money ($7.9 billion) to investment scams in 2025.
- 4.
The FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center received 1,008,597 complaints in 2025 with $20.877 billion in reported losses, a 26% increase on 2024.
Federal Bureau of Investigation, Internet Crime Report 2025 (Apr 2026)
Exact wording at the source
1,008,597 complaints; $20.877 billion in losses; 26% increase in losses from 2024; $20,699 Average Loss.
- 5.
Cyber-enabled fraud, which includes online shopping, investment and tech support scams, caused almost 85% of all losses reported to IC3 in 2025.
Federal Bureau of Investigation, Internet Crime Report 2025 (Apr 2026)
Exact wording at the source
Cyber -enabled fraud is responsible for almost 85% of all losses reported to IC3 in 2025.
- 6.
Americans aged 60 and over filed 201,266 complaints with IC3 in 2025 and reported $7.7 billion in losses, more than any other age group.
Federal Bureau of Investigation, Internet Crime Report 2025 (Apr 2026)
Exact wording at the source
60+: 201,266 complaints, $7.7 billion in losses.
- 7.
Payment fraud reported by the industry across the European Economic Area reached €4.2 billion in 2024, up from €3.4 billion in 2022.
European Banking Authority and European Central Bank, Joint EBA-ECB report on payment fraud: strong authentication remains effective but fraudsters are adapting (Dec 2025)
Exact wording at the source
The report assesses payment fraud reported by the industry across the European Economic Area (EEA), which amounted to €3.4 billion in 2022, €3.5 billion in 2023 and €4.2 billion in 2024.
- 8.
The Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre received over 112,000 fraud reports in 2025 involving more than C$704 million in losses.
Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre, Top 10 frauds in 2025 (Feb 2026)
Exact wording at the source
In 2025, the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre (CAFC) received over 112,000 fraud reports involving more than $704 million in reported losses.
- 9.
Australians made 274,577 scam reports with a financial loss in 2025, totalling A$2.18 billion across Scamwatch, banks and other agencies.
Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, Continued action critical to combat fraud as annual scam losses exceed $2 billion (Mar 2026)
Exact wording at the source
Of these, 274,577 reports involved financial losses totalling $2.18 billion.
Chart
Payment fraud reported across the European Economic Area
Billions of euros; all payment instruments reported by the industry across the EEA, 2022 to 2024.
- 20223.4 billion euros
- 20233.5 billion euros
- 20244.2 billion euros
Source: European Banking Authority and European Central Bank, Joint EBA-ECB report on payment fraud: strong authentication remains effective but fraudsters are adapting
Online shopping scams and goods that never arrive
- 10.
31% of US adults say they have bought an item online that never arrived and was not refunded, according to a Pew Research Center survey of 9,397 adults in April 2025.
Pew Research Center, About 1 in 3 Americans say they experienced an online shopping scam (Nov 2025)
Exact wording at the source
adults say they’ve ever bought an item online that either never arrived (31%) or was counterfeit (17%) and was not refunded.
- 11.
17% of US adults say they have bought an item online that turned out to be counterfeit and were not refunded.
Pew Research Center, About 1 in 3 Americans say they experienced an online shopping scam (Nov 2025)
Exact wording at the source
adults say they’ve ever bought an item online that either never arrived (31%) or was counterfeit (17%) and was not refunded.
- 12.
12% of US adults say they had an unrefunded non-delivery or counterfeit purchase online in the 12 months before Pew's April 2025 survey.
Pew Research Center, About 1 in 3 Americans say they experienced an online shopping scam (Nov 2025)
Exact wording at the source
And 12% of Americans say they experienced at least one of these issues within the past year
- 13.
More than 387,000 reports of online shopping fraud were filed with the FTC in 2024, according to Pew's analysis of FTC data, down from nearly 463,000 in 2021.
Pew Research Center, About 1 in 3 Americans say they experienced an online shopping scam (Nov 2025)
Exact wording at the source
Over 387,000 reports of fraud involving online shopping were filed in the United States in 2024, according to data from the Federal Trade Commission (FTC).
- 14.
Online shopping fraud reported to the FTC caused $434.4 million in losses in 2024, with a median loss of $130 per victim.
Pew Research Center, About 1 in 3 Americans say they experienced an online shopping scam (Nov 2025)
Exact wording at the source
Online shopping fraud was responsible for a reported $434.4 million in 2024, with victims facing a median loss of $130.
- 15.
74% of US adults who have lost money to an online scam, shopping-related or not, did not report it to law enforcement.
Pew Research Center, About 1 in 3 Americans say they experienced an online shopping scam (Nov 2025)
Exact wording at the source
In fact, 74% of adults who say they’ve ever lost money due to an online scam or attack, shopping-related or otherwise, said in our April survey that they did not report the incident to law enforcement.
- 16.
Victims reported $503 million in losses from non-payment and non-delivery scams to the FBI's IC3 in 2025.
Federal Bureau of Investigation, Internet Crime Report 2025 (Apr 2026)
Exact wording at the source
Non-Payment/ Non-Delivery $503,373,587
- 17.
IC3 received 56,478 non-payment and non-delivery complaints in 2025, the fifth most common cyber-enabled fraud by count.
Federal Bureau of Investigation, Internet Crime Report 2025 (Apr 2026)
Exact wording at the source
Non-Payment/ Non-Delivery 56,478
- 18.
Merchandise fraud in Canada drew 2,596 reports from 2,222 victims in 2025, with C$11.7 million in reported losses.
Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre, Top 10 frauds in 2025 (Feb 2026)
Exact wording at the source
Merchandise 2,596 2,222 $11.7 M
- 19.
12,248 Australians reported losing money to shopping scams in 2025, with A$10.8 million in total losses, more victims than for any other scam type.
National Anti-Scam Centre (ACCC), Targeting scams: Report of the National Anti-Scam Centre on scams data and activity 2025 (Mar 2026)
Exact wording at the source
There were 12,248 Australians who reported a loss to shopping scams, reporting total overall losses of $10.8 million in 2025.
Chart
US adults who have had an unrefunded non-delivery or counterfeit purchase online, by age
Share who ever bought an item online that never arrived or was counterfeit and was not refunded; survey of 9,397 US adults, April 2025.
- Ages 18 to 2942%
- Ages 30 to 4940%
- Ages 50 to 6437%
- Ages 65 and over26%
Source: Pew Research Center, About 1 in 3 Americans say they experienced an online shopping scam
Card fraud and card-not-present fraud
- 20.
Payment card fraud losses worldwide fell 1.2% to $33.41 billion in 2024, according to the Nilson Report.
Nilson Report, The Nilson Report Marks Decline in Card Fraud (Jan 2026)
Exact wording at the source
Payment card fraud losses worldwide dipped 1.2% to $33.41 billion in 2024, according to the Nilson Report, the leading trade publication covering the global payment card industry.
- 21.
Card fraud cost 6.43 cents for every $100 of card volume worldwide in 2024, down from 6.58 cents in 2023.
Nilson Report, The Nilson Report Marks Decline in Card Fraud (Jan 2026)
Exact wording at the source
That metric was 6.43¢ per $100 in 2024, down from 6.58¢ the prior year.
- 22.
The US generated 26.31% of global card volume in 2024 but 41.87% of global card fraud losses.
Nilson Report, The Nilson Report Marks Decline in Card Fraud (Jan 2026)
Exact wording at the source
The US accounted for 26.31% of total credit, debit and prepaid card volume worldwide in 2024, but 41.87% of losses to fraud globally.
- 23.
The Nilson Report projects worldwide card fraud losses of $41.06 billion by 2030.
Nilson Report, The Nilson Report Marks Decline in Card Fraud (Jan 2026)
Exact wording at the source
The Nilson Report projects that fraud losses will be $41.06 billion by 2030, tied to total card volume of $70.731 trillion.
- 24.
Remote card payments made up around 83% of card fraud in the EEA in 2024, though they were only around 28% of card payment value.
European Banking Authority and European Central Bank, 2025 Report on Payment Fraud (Dec 2025)
Exact wording at the source
Remote card payment fraud in value and volume terms accounted for around 83% of all card fraud in 2024, while remotely initiated payments’ share of the total value and volume of overall card transactions were only around 28% and 18%, respectively.
- 25.
Fraud on cards issued in the EU and EEA totalled €1.3 billion in 2024, a fraud rate of 0.033% of card payment value.
European Banking Authority and European Central Bank, 2025 Report on Payment Fraud (Dec 2025)
Exact wording at the source
the value of fraudulent card transactions in the EU/EEA amounted to EUR 1.3 billion, with a fraud rate of 0.033%.
- 26.
Stolen card details were behind more than 56% of the value of remote card fraud in the EEA in 2024.
European Banking Authority and European Central Bank, 2025 Report on Payment Fraud (Dec 2025)
Exact wording at the source
In 2024, the theft of card details in remotely initiated fraudulent card transactions accounted for more than 56% of the total value (around 65% in volume terms).
- 27.
UK remote purchase (card-not-present) fraud losses rose 3% to £423.5 million in 2025, and cases rose 13% to 3.2 million.
UK Finance, Fraud remains a national security threat as criminals steal almost £1.3 billion (Jun 2026)
Exact wording at the source
Remote purchase card fraud losses, where criminals use stolen card information to make online purchases, rose by three percent to £423.5 million, and case numbers were up 13 per cent to 3.2 million.
- 28.
UK card fraud losses on internet and ecommerce transactions rose 9% to £250.8 million in 2025, the highest total since 2018.
UK Finance, Annual Fraud Report 2026 (Jun 2026)
Exact wording at the source
UK Internet / E-Commerce Card Fraud Losses Value = £250.8m (9%)
- 29.
The average UK remote purchase fraud case was worth £132 in 2025, down from £300 a decade earlier.
UK Finance, Annual Fraud Report 2026 (Jun 2026)
Exact wording at the source
And in remote purchase cases, average case values have dropped by nearly three-fifths in the past decade from £300 to £132.
- 30.
Card-not-present transactions made up 34.4% of US debit card transactions by number and almost half by value in 2023.
Federal Reserve Board, 2023 Interchange Fee Revenue, Covered Issuer Costs, and Covered Issuer and Merchant Fraud Losses Related to Debit Card Transactions (Dec 2025)
Exact wording at the source
Card-not-present (CNP) transactions reached 34.4 percent of total volume and almost one-half of total value in 2023
- 31.
US merchants absorbed 49.9% of debit card fraud losses reported by large issuers in 2023, up from 38.3% in 2011.
Federal Reserve Board, 2023 Interchange Fee Revenue, Covered Issuer Costs, and Covered Issuer and Merchant Fraud Losses Related to Debit Card Transactions (Dec 2025)
Exact wording at the source
In 2023, merchants absorbed 49.9 percent of losses from fraudulent transactions reported by covered issuers, up from 46.9 percent in 2021 and 38.3 percent in 2011.
- 32.
Card-not-present fraud losses borne by US merchants on dual-message debit networks rose from 10.0 basis points of transaction value in 2011 to 15.0 in 2019, before easing to 13.4 in 2021.
Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City, Card-Not-Present Fraud Rates in the United States after the Migration to Chip Cards (May 2025)
Exact wording at the source
The same fraud loss rate for merchants, on the other hand, increased from 10.0 basis points in 2011 to 15.0 basis points in 2019, though the rate declined slightly to 13.4 basis points in 2021.
Chart
UK remote purchase (card-not-present) fraud losses
Millions of pounds lost to fraud using stolen card details online, by phone or by mail order, UK, 2016 to 2025.
Source: UK Finance, Annual Fraud Report 2026
How scammers reach shoppers and how victims pay
- 33.
US consumers reported over $2 billion in fraud losses in fiscal year 2025 where social media was the contact method.
Federal Trade Commission, Prepared Statement of the Federal Trade Commission on The Rising Scam Economy (Mar 2026)
Exact wording at the source
In FY 2025, consumers reported aggregate losses of over $2 billion when social media was identified as the contact method.
- 34.
More than 40% of people who lost money to a social media scam in 2025 said they had ordered something they saw in a social media ad.
Federal Trade Commission, New FTC Data Show People Have Lost Billions to Social Media Scams (Apr 2026)
Exact wording at the source
Shopping scams were the most reported type of social media scam last year, with more than 40% of people who lost money to a scam on social media reporting that they ordered something they saw in a social media ad
- 35.
When adults aged 60 and over lost money to a scam that began on social media in 2024, online shopping scams were the most common type, at 31% of those reports.
Federal Trade Commission, Protecting Older Consumers 2024-2025 (Dec 2025)
Exact wording at the source
When social media was the contact method, older adults most often reported losing money to online shopping scams (31%), but their highest aggregate reported losses were on investment scams (51%) followed by romance scams (28%).
- 36.
UK authorised push payment fraud losses, where victims are tricked into sending a bank transfer, rose 19% to £576.4 million in 2025 across 248,070 cases.
UK Finance, Fraud remains a national security threat as criminals steal almost £1.3 billion (Jun 2026)
Exact wording at the source
APP fraud losses rose sharply to £576.4 million (up 19 per cent) and there were 248,070 cases recorded (up seven per cent).
- 37.
Purchase scams made up 71% of UK authorised push payment fraud cases in 2025, and their losses rose 20% to £118.1 million.
UK Finance, Fraud remains a national security threat as criminals steal almost £1.3 billion (Jun 2026)
Exact wording at the source
Purchase scams accounted for 71 per cent of all cases, with losses rising 20 per cent to £118.1 million.
- 38.
66% of UK authorised push payment fraud cases in 2025 started online, accounting for 32% of losses.
UK Finance, Fraud remains a national security threat as criminals steal almost £1.3 billion (Jun 2026)
Exact wording at the source
66 per cent of APP cases originated online, accounting for 32 per cent of losses.
- 39.
Online contact such as fake websites, ads, social media and apps led to A$122 million in scam losses reported to Scamwatch from January to September 2025, 47% of all losses.
Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, Australians report nearly $260m in losses as shopping scams surge (Nov 2025)
Exact wording at the source
Online content, such as fake websites, advertisements, social media, and mobile apps, were the most common method used by scammers for initial contact, resulting in $122 million in losses, or 47 per cent of overall scam losses.
- 40.
Credit card and check fraud complaints to IC3 caused $282,670,235 in reported losses in 2025, up from $199.9 million in 2024.
Federal Bureau of Investigation, Internet Crime Report 2025 (Apr 2026)
Exact wording at the source
Credit Card/Check Fraud $282,670,235 $199,889,841 $173,627,614
Chart
Where UK authorised push payment scams started, share of cases
Share of authorised push payment fraud cases by where the scam began, UK, 2025.
- Online66%
- Telecommunications17%
- Unknown11%
- Other5%
- Email1%
Source: UK Finance, Fraud remains a national security threat as criminals steal almost £1.3 billion
Chargebacks and what fraud costs merchants
- 41.
Each chargeback costs merchants an average of $128 in third-party fees and internal costs, according to Mastercard.
Mastercard, What's the true cost of a chargeback in 2025? (Jun 2026)
Exact wording at the source
Each chargeback costs merchants an average of $128 in third-party fees and internal costs.
- 42.
Fraudulent chargebacks, from third-party criminals and first-party misuse combined, made up around 45% of merchant chargeback volume worldwide in 2025.
Mastercard, What's the true cost of a chargeback in 2025? (Jun 2026)
Exact wording at the source
The 2025 data shows both types of fraudulent chargebacks increasing, accounting for around 45% of merchant chargeback volume globally.
- 43.
Mastercard and Datos Insights expect the number of chargebacks worldwide to grow 37% from 2025 to 2029, reaching 359 million a year.
Mastercard, What's the true cost of a chargeback in 2025? (Jun 2026)
Exact wording at the source
The number of chargebacks globally is expected to grow 37% from 2025 to 2029, reaching 359 million transactions annually
- 44.
The financial impact of chargebacks worldwide is projected to grow from $36.9 billion in 2026 to $46.1 billion in 2029.
Mastercard, What's the true cost of a chargeback in 2025? (Jun 2026)
Exact wording at the source
All in, the financial impact of global chargebacks is expected to grow from $36.9 billion in 2026 to $46.1 billion in 2029, according to Datos Insights.
- 45.
Card-not-present transactions, where chargebacks are more likely, make up 63% of merchants' transactions.
Mastercard, What's the true cost of a chargeback in 2025? (Jun 2026)
Exact wording at the source
That’s because chargebacks are more likely to occur on card-not-present (CNP) transactions, which represent 63% of merchants
- 46.
77% of merchants surveyed by Mastercard and Javelin believe the card dispute process is too easy for customers.
Mastercard, What's the true cost of a chargeback in 2025? (Jun 2026)
Exact wording at the source
Over three-quarters (77%) of merchants believe the dispute process is too easy
Stolen card data, account takeover and UK victims
- 47.
Enumeration attacks, the automated testing of card numbers on ecommerce sites, led to around US$1.1 billion in follow-on fraud in one year, according to Visa.
Visa, Biannual Threats Report Spring 2025 (Jan 2025)
Exact wording at the source
Enumeration attacks remain a popular vector for threat actors to validate and compromise payment credentials, resulting in around US$1.1B in follow-on fraud in a one-year period.
- 48.
Visa detected US$357 million in fraud linked to scams and more than 20,000 merchants involved in scams over the 12 months covered by its spring 2025 report.
Visa, Biannual Threats Report Spring 2025 (Jan 2025)
Exact wording at the source
In the last twelve months, Visa PERC detected US$357M in fraud associated with scams and over 20K merchants involved in scams.
- 49.
In card data recovered from two dark web marketplaces, 85% to 93% of exposed accounts were linked to enumeration attacks at least 12 months earlier.
Visa, Five Forces Reshaping Payment Security in 2025: Biannual Threats Report Fall 2025 (Nov 2025)
Exact wording at the source
revealed that 85-93% of exposed accounts were linked to enumeration attacks that occurred at least 12 months prior.
- 50.
More than 78,000 account takeover cases were filed to the UK National Fraud Database in 2025, up 6% on 2024; mobile phone, online retail and credit card accounts made up around 90% of them.
Cifas, Fraudscape 2026: Fraud cases hit record highs as criminals adapt and scale (Mar 2026)
Exact wording at the source
More than 78,000 facility (account) takeover cases were reported in 2025, accounting for 18% of all NFD filings and representing a 6% increase on 2024.
- 51.
Online retail account takeovers in the UK rose 84% year on year in the first half of 2026, and plastic card account takeovers rose 59%.
Cifas, Nearly three in five (59%) fraud-risk cases linked to identity fraud, Cifas data shows (Aug 2026)
Exact wording at the source
Online retail and plastic card account takeovers also rose sharply, up by 84% and 59% respectively, highlighting the value of compromised accounts and payment facilities.
- 52.
Consumer and retail fraud in England and Wales rose 23% to around 1.1 million incidents in the year ending March 2025, according to the Crime Survey for England and Wales.
Office for National Statistics, Fraud and computer misuse in England and Wales: year ending March 2025 (Apr 2026)
Exact wording at the source
This was mainly because of a 30% increase in bank and credit account fraud (to around 2.4 million incidents) and a 23% increase in consumer and retail fraud (to around 1.1 million incidents).
- 53.
Victims of consumer and retail fraud in England and Wales who lost money were fully reimbursed in 48% of cases, compared with 85% for bank and credit account fraud.
Office for National Statistics, Fraud and computer misuse in England and Wales: year ending March 2025 (Apr 2026)
Exact wording at the source
Victims were fully reimbursed in: 85% of bank and credit account fraud 48% of consumer and retail fraud 40% of all other fraud
- 54.
Where fraudsters made contact with victims in England and Wales, the most common reason was buying or selling items online, in 25% of incidents.
Office for National Statistics, Fraud and computer misuse in England and Wales: year ending March 2025 (Apr 2026)
Exact wording at the source
Where there was contact between the offender and the victim, the most common reason for contact was regarding buying or selling items online (25%).
Questions readers ask
- How much money do people lose to online fraud each year?
- US consumers reported $15.9 billion in fraud losses to the FTC in 2025, and the FBI's IC3 recorded $20.877 billion from just over 1 million complaints. Both totals come from voluntary reports, and Pew Research Center found 74% of people who lost money to an online scam did not tell law enforcement.
- How common are online shopping scams?
- Pew Research Center found 31% of US adults have bought an item online that never arrived and 17% bought a counterfeit, without a refund. The FTC received more than 387,000 online shopping fraud reports in 2024 with $434.4 million in losses and a median loss of $130.
- What share of card fraud is card-not-present fraud?
- In the European Economic Area, remote card payments made up around 83% of card fraud in 2024 but only about 28% of card payment value, according to the EBA and ECB. In the UK, remote purchase fraud cost £423.5 million in 2025 across 3.2 million cases, according to UK Finance.
- How much card fraud is there worldwide?
- The Nilson Report puts global payment card fraud losses at $33.41 billion in 2024, or 6.43 cents per $100 of card volume. The US carried 41.87% of those losses while generating 26.31% of card volume, and Nilson projects $41.06 billion in losses by 2030.
- How many chargebacks are fraudulent?
- Mastercard says fraudulent chargebacks, from criminals using stolen cards and from genuine cardholders disputing valid purchases, made up around 45% of merchant chargeback volume worldwide in 2025. Each chargeback costs merchants an average of $128 in fees and internal costs.
- Which payment method is safest against shopping scams?
- Card payments carry chargeback rights, while bank transfers depend on separate reimbursement rules. The FTC says bank payments caused the largest fraud losses in 2025, and in the UK purchase scams paid by bank transfer made up 71% of authorised push payment fraud cases, with £118.1 million lost.
Where these numbers come from
We used primary publishers only: government agencies and regulators (the Federal Trade Commission, the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center, the Federal Reserve Board and the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City, the Office for National Statistics, the ACCC and its National Anti-Scam Centre, the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre, and the European Banking Authority with the European Central Bank), the industry bodies UK Finance and Cifas, the card networks Visa and Mastercard, the Nilson Report and Pew Research Center. Every quote was refetched from the source page. Complaint databases such as the FTC's Consumer Sentinel, IC3, Scamwatch and the CAFC count only what victims report, and Pew found most victims do not report, so totals understate fraud. The FTC and IC3 overlap and should not be added together. Pew's online shopping report counts come from FTC data. Card fraud figures follow each publisher's own definitions: EBA and ECB data cover cards issued in the EEA, UK Finance covers UK-issued cards, and Federal Reserve data cover debit cards at issuers with $10 billion or more in assets and run only to 2023. Chargeback figures from Mastercard are estimates and projections made with Datos Insights and Javelin. Canadian and Australian amounts are in local currency. We store the sentence each number appears in, and a script loads the publisher's page again to make sure that sentence is still there. Our methodology has the details.
Sources
- Australian Competition and Consumer Commission. Continued action critical to combat fraud as annual scam losses exceed $2 billion (Mar 2026).
- Australian Competition and Consumer Commission. Australians report nearly $260m in losses as shopping scams surge (Nov 2025).
- Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre. Top 10 frauds in 2025 (Feb 2026).
- Cifas. Fraudscape 2026: Fraud cases hit record highs as criminals adapt and scale (Mar 2026).
- Cifas. Nearly three in five (59%) fraud-risk cases linked to identity fraud, Cifas data shows (Aug 2026).
- European Banking Authority and European Central Bank. Joint EBA-ECB report on payment fraud: strong authentication remains effective but fraudsters are adapting (Dec 2025).
- European Banking Authority and European Central Bank. 2025 Report on Payment Fraud (Dec 2025).
- Federal Bureau of Investigation. Internet Crime Report 2025 (Apr 2026).
- Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City. Card-Not-Present Fraud Rates in the United States after the Migration to Chip Cards (May 2025).
- Federal Reserve Board. 2023 Interchange Fee Revenue, Covered Issuer Costs, and Covered Issuer and Merchant Fraud Losses Related to Debit Card Transactions (Dec 2025).
- Federal Trade Commission. Prepared Statement of the Federal Trade Commission on The Rising Scam Economy (Mar 2026).
- Federal Trade Commission. FTC Testifies before the Joint Economic Committee on Agency's Efforts to Combat Fraud (Mar 2026).
- Federal Trade Commission. New FTC Data Show People Have Lost Billions to Social Media Scams (Apr 2026).
- Federal Trade Commission. Protecting Older Consumers 2024-2025 (Dec 2025).
- Mastercard. What's the true cost of a chargeback in 2025? (Jun 2026).
- National Anti-Scam Centre (ACCC). Targeting scams: Report of the National Anti-Scam Centre on scams data and activity 2025 (Mar 2026).
- Nilson Report. The Nilson Report Marks Decline in Card Fraud (Jan 2026).
- Office for National Statistics. Fraud and computer misuse in England and Wales: year ending March 2025 (Apr 2026).
- Pew Research Center. About 1 in 3 Americans say they experienced an online shopping scam (Nov 2025).
- UK Finance. Fraud remains a national security threat as criminals steal almost £1.3 billion (Jun 2026).
- UK Finance. Annual Fraud Report 2026 (Jun 2026).
- Visa. Biannual Threats Report Spring 2025 (Jan 2025).
- Visa. Five Forces Reshaping Payment Security in 2025: Biannual Threats Report Fall 2025 (Nov 2025).
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Comredix. (2026, November 13). Online Shopping Fraud Statistics 2026. https://comredix.com/online-fraud-statistics
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