71% of Consumers Report E-Commerce Scams, Shifting Buying Behavior — Clutch Technologies Inc.

Event summary

71% of consumers encountered online shopping scams, with 56% falling victim.
42% of scam victims were targeted within the past year.
Social media (33%) is the leading channel for e-commerce scams, ahead of email and marketplaces.
54% of consumers lose trust in brands after encountering associated scams.

The big picture

Clutch's report highlights the normalization of scams in digital commerce, forcing consumers to adopt more cautious purchasing habits. The findings underscore a broader industry challenge as platforms and brands grapple with maintaining trust amid rising fraud risks. Social media's dominance as a scam vector suggests regulatory and operational pressures may intensify for tech giants managing these ecosystems.

What we're watching

Platform Accountability: How e-commerce platforms will respond to consumer demands for stronger anti-scam measures.
Brand Reputation Risk: Whether brands can mitigate trust erosion when scams impersonate their identity.
Regulatory Scrutiny: The pace at which governments may intervene to enforce stricter fraud prevention standards.