AMMAN — Visa, a world leader in digital payments, today released the annual Stay Secure study in Jordan, which assesses consumer awareness and behaviors around digital commerce and fraud.

This year’s edition, conducted by Wakefield Research, highlights how AI enabled shopping and social commerce are changing consumer behavior even as expectations around trust and protection remain firmly in place.

Consumers are embracing artificial intelligence as part of their shopping journeys. 80 per cent in Jordan have used AI tools to assist with shopping, including comparing prices (48 per cent), finding gift ideas (54 per cent), and checking reviews or product ratings (41 per cent).

The appeal is clear: 94 per cent feel new technologies, including AI-powered tools, are making online shopping faster and easier than before. AI is also influencing discovery, with 53 per cent typically discovering new brands or retailers while shopping online.

However, consumers remain more cautious when it comes to AI handling transactions on their behalf. Today, only 16 per cent would trust AI agents to complete checkout, reinforcing the importance of earning consumer trust in the age of agentic commerce.

As AI adoption grows, consumers increasingly view technology as part of the solution to fraud. 55 per cent feel AI has made scams easier to recognise today and 81per cent believe AI will play a critical role in protecting consumers from fraud in the future.

Shopping through social platforms has become mainstream, with 81 per cent of consumers in Jordan having purchased products directly through social media platforms.

As commerce expands across new channels, fraud risks continue to follow consumers online. 37 per cent have experienced a financial scam in the past 12 months.

Among those who have experienced a scam, 48 per cent report the incident occurred on social media, more than those who encounter scams on other platforms such as websites, online marketplaces, or shopping apps.

The study also highlights growing concern about how children encounter scams online, with 82 per cent of consumers reporting that children in their lives struggle to recognise scams. A significant 64 per cent have seen a child fall victim to a scam while gaming or shopping online.

That concern comes as children gain greater access to digital commerce. 19per cent of Jordanian parents have children who can access mobile payment apps or digital wallets.

When it comes to protecting against fraud while shopping online, consumers look first to institutions rather than themselves. 53 per cent believe government authorities or regulators should be primarily responsible, followed by banks or financial institutions (43per cent) and payment providers (28per cent). Only 7 per cent believe consumers themselves should hold primary responsibility.

They also want more proactive reassurance. 63per cent would feel secure receiving real-time alerts from their bank or payment app when something looks suspicious, while 38per cent would feel more comfortable seeing a familiar, trusted logo at checkout.

Senior Vice President and Group Country Manager of North Africa, Levant and Pakistan Region at Visa, Leila Serhan, said “Visa’s Stay Secure study shows that while online shopping and social commerce continue to grow, scams and fraud are evolving too. Consumers see fraud protection as a shared responsibility, but they expect financial institutions, governments, and payment providers to take the lead, underscoring the importance of secure-by-design payment systems.”

She added “As commerce moves toward more agentic, AI-powered experiences, the study shows that consumers are embracing the convenience AI can bring to shopping but remain cautious when it comes to AI completing purchases on their behalf. With Visa Intelligent Commerce, we are helping enable the next era of commerce built on trust, control and confidence.”

The Stay Secure study was commissioned by Visa and conducted by Wakefield Research from January to February 2026. It involved a survey of 5,800 adults aged 18 years and older across 17 CEMEA markets, including Bahrain, Côte d'Ivoire, Egypt, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kuwait, Morocco, Nigeria, Oman, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia (KSA), Serbia, South Africa, Ukraine and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

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