BrandShield’s 2026 Consumer Fraud & Trust Report, an independent survey of 1,029 U.S. adults, found that more than half of U.S. consumers say they have been targeted by a scam in the past year, while 8 in 10 say they are more concerned about scams than a year ago.
More shockingly, over half of respondents (52.4%) say they were the target of a scam in the past 12 months, with 27.5% saying they lost money outright, and 4 in 10 (43.3%) claiming losses of $500 or more.
For the brands and organizations being impersonated, the fallout can be significant as the loss of consumer trust extends beyond impersonated brands to the marketplaces where many consumers encounter scams and counterfeit goods.
