Michigan Residents at Risk of Losing $584 to Scammers this Black Friday, Expert Warns

Photo by Gustavo Fring

Article courtesy of WhatAreTheBest.com.

• Online shopping scam reports from Michigan listed an average loss of $584 in 2025, the sixth lowest average of the 50 states and 31.6% below the 50-state average.
• Michigan recorded 432.3 online shopping scam reports per 100,000 residents between 2021 and 2025, 29th of the 50 states and 4.2% below the 50-state rate.
• A spokesperson urges Michiganders to make three quick checks before paying for a Black Friday deal from a store they have never used.

Black Friday falls on November 27 this year,

and Adobe forecasts that US online sales will reach $275.1 billion over the holiday season, with $12.9 billion spent online on Black Friday alone, up 9.2% on last year, which means Americans are at a higher risk than ever for online shopping scams.

New research has found that Michiganders reported losing $19.3 million to online shopping scams between 2022 and 2025, with reports from the state listing an average loss of $584 in 2025. Measured against its population, Michigan ranked 29th of the 50 states for online shopping scam reports.

The study, conducted by independent comparison site WhatAreTheBest.com, analyzed five full years of online shopping scam reports to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). Each state’s reports were compared with its population using US Census Bureau estimates to find which states are at the highest risk of scams this Black Friday.

The research also looked at the amount of money residents of each state reported losing and how each state’s rate has changed year-by-year.

How much money are Michigan residents losing to online scams and how does it compare to other states?

Michiganders reported losing $19.3 million to online shopping scams between 2022 and 2025, 14th of the 50 states, according to FTC figures. That included $16.2 million over the three years from 2023 to 2025 and $5.3 million in 2025 alone.

Taking population into account, Michigan lost $191,773 to online shopping scams for every 100,000 residents between 2022 and 2025, 38th of the 50 states and 28.3% below the 50-state figure of $267,428. Wyoming had the highest figure of the 50 states, at $621,693.

Online shopping scam reports from the state listed an average loss of $584 in 2025, the sixth lowest average of the 50 states and 31.6% below the 50-state average of $854.

Money lost to online shopping scams: how Michigan compares with the other states

How common are online shopping scams in Michigan and how does it compare to other states?

Michigan residents filed 43,554 online shopping scam reports with the FTC between 2021 and 2025, a rate of 432.3 per 100,000 people and 4.2% below the 50-state rate of 451.3. That put Michigan 29th of the 50 states.

In 2025 alone, the state recorded 89.7 reports per 100,000 residents, 31st of the 50 states, below its five-year peak of 91.7 in 2021. The rate rose 5.3% between 2024 and 2025 and grew 8.8% from 2022 to 2025, slower than the 6.3% and 11.3% rises across the 50 states.

Michigan had a higher rate than all three of its neighboring states, Wisconsin (431.7, 30th), Ohio (428.6, 31st) and Indiana (398.1, 38th).

Delaware had the highest rate of the 50 states, at 649.6 reports per 100,000 residents, followed by New Hampshire, Colorado, Oregon and Nevada.

Online shopping scam reports: how Michigan compares with the other states

Albert Richer, Founder of WhatAreTheBest.com, has commented:

“A lot of people assume that elderly people are the most vulnerable to scams, particularly online shopping scams. However, younger shoppers are the most likely to lose money to online shopping scams nationally, according to the FTC. Reports from people aged 19 and under included a loss 87.3% of the time in 2025, against 69.2% for people aged 80 and over. People aged 20 to 29 reported the highest typical loss, at $146, and people aged 40 to 49 reported the most money lost in total, at $59.6 million.

“This goes to show that anybody can fall victim to an online scam, especially around busy shopping periods like Black Friday and Christmas shopping because this is when people tend to let their guard down in the rush, which is exactly when scammers will strike.

“Black Friday sends a lot of people to stores they have never bought from before, and that is the moment a fake store is waiting for. A website can copy a real brand’s logo, photos and prices, so a professional-looking page tells you very little about who is taking your money.

“If you are buying from an unfamiliar site, search the store’s name with the word ‘scam’ or ‘reviews’ after it, and look for a physical address, a working phone number and a clear returns policy. If one website is selling an item for far less than every other retailer, treat that as a warning sign.

“Pay with a safe method such as a credit card, and be wary of any seller that asks for a bank transfer, a gift card, a wire transfer, cryptocurrency or a payment app transfer. On top of this, keep the order confirmation, the product page and any messages until the package arrives, so you have evidence if you need it.

“If something does go wrong, call your bank or card provider right away, then report it to the FTC. Every report feeds the official figures, which is how the next shopper gets warned.”

Sources:

Federal Trade Commission online shopping fraud data

US Census Bureau state population totals

 Methodology:

This release is part of a study ranking the 50 US states by online shopping scam reports per 100,000 residents, ahead of Black Friday on November 27, 2026. It covers the five calendar years from 2021 to 2025 and compares January to June 2026 with the same months of 2025.

 Measures and calculations:

Online shopping scam reports: FTC fraud reports in the Online Shopping and Negative Reviews category. The January to June figures and all money figures use the FTC’s Online Shopping subcategory, which made up 99.5% of the category’s reports across the 50 states in 2025.

Report rates: reports divided by the state’s July 1 population, multiplied by 100,000. Multi-year rates use the average population over the period.

Money lost: online shopping losses reported to the FTC, which publishes them by state from 2022, so money figures cover 2022 to 2025.

Money lost per 100,000 residents: online shopping losses from 2022 to 2025, divided by the state’s average July 1 population over those four years, multiplied by 100,000.

Average loss: online shopping losses divided by online shopping reports, including reports where no money was lost.

 All 50 states ranked by online shopping reports per 100,000 residents