Online fraud in Spain surges 92%: 45,000 fake shops detected in 2025
Security systems blocked nearly 45,000 domains associated with scams in Spain during 2025. Globally, fake shops doubled: from 260,000 to 526,000 between 2024 and 2025.
Explosion of scams in the run-up to Christmas
According to eleconomista.es, Norton has reported that security systems blocked 45,000 domains linked to fake shops and scams in Spain during 2025, an increase of 92% compared with the previous year. On a global scale, growth was even more dramatic: fraudulent domains blocked rose from 260,000 in the Christmas quarter of 2024 to 526,000 in the same period of 2025, practically doubling.
Between October and December 2025, security systems stopped more than 46.7 million attempts to access these fraudulent shops worldwide, which equates to approximately six blocks per second. According to Norton's calculations, these scams could potentially have affected more than 16 million people.
In Spain, this upturn aligns with a broader trend in digital fraud. The National Cybersecurity Institute (INCIBE) managed 45,445 incidents of online fraud in 2025, 19% more than in 2024. The organisation also collaborated in the closure of 4,600 fraudulent domains, mainly fake shops. The total number of cybersecurity incidents reached 122,223, a figure representing an increase of 26% year-on-year.
E-commerce as a playground
The rise in these practices coincides with the expansion of e-commerce in Spain. According to the National Observatory of Technology and Society (ONTSI), 29.4 million people shopped online during 2024, equivalent to 83.3% of internet users. The average annual spending was €3,762 per buyer, whilst the sector's business volume reached €110,683 million, 11.5% more than in 2023.
ONTSI itself has documented the increase in security problems. Its study "Online shopping in Spain. 2025 Edition", based on a survey of 3,000 people, points out that economic fraud represents 18.2% of the problems reported by consumers, compared with 8% in the previous 2023 edition.
Social media as the main vector of deception
Social media has become the preferred tool of scammers. According to Norton, among those who suffered fraud during Christmas shopping internationally, 44% state that the deception took place on a social platform. 40% point to having fallen for a fraudulent advertisement, whilst 30% locate the fraud on a third-party website.
The weight of irresistible offers
65% of consumers surveyed by Norton admit to being swayed by good offers during the Christmas season, although 44% acknowledge that some seem suspicious to them. This contradiction is precisely what scammers exploit. 32% of respondents say they have at some point bought from a page or from a seller they considered suspicious simply because the offer seemed too good to refuse.
The search for high-demand products also drives risky behaviour. Half of consumers acknowledge having performed at least one risky action to obtain a gift, such as clicking on ads from social media or suspicious emails.
When it comes specifically to fraudulent shops, criminals take these techniques further. They exploit the perception of an exceptional opportunity so that the consumer makes the payment without verifying the legitimacy of the establishment. 36% of consumers would be willing to risk money in a purchase from a seller of whom they suspect could be a scammer, with an average amount of $122.90 that they would accept losing.
Source: Google News ES — Crime (es)