More people in Morocco are turning to AI to help them shop online, but most are still uncomfortable letting AI make purchases for them, a new study has found.
The Stay Secure study by Visa, carried out with Switch Al Maghrib, found that 83% of Moroccan consumers have used AI tools while shopping online.
People mainly use AI to compare prices, look for gift ideas and read product reviews. Almost all respondents, 97%, said AI makes online shopping quicker and easier.
But trust remains a problem when money is involved. Only 23% said they would trust an AI agent to complete a purchase on their behalf.
The study also found that shopping through social media has become very common in Morocco, with 87% of consumers saying they have bought products through social platforms.
At the same time, fraud remains a concern. Around 30% of respondents said they had been victims of a financial scam in the past year. More than half of those cases, 53%, happened on social media.
Many consumers are also worried about children online. The study found that 92% believe children struggle to spot scams, while 61% said they had seen a child fall victim to fraud while gaming or shopping online.
Meanwhile, 17% of parents said their children have access to mobile payment apps or digital wallets.
When asked who should be responsible for preventing fraud, only 9% said consumers should carry the main burden. Nearly half, 49%, pointed to banks and financial institutions, while 47% said governments and regulators should take the lead.
Consumers also want stronger protection from banks. About 64% said real-time alerts about suspicious activity would help them feel safer.
“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,” said Leila Serhan, Visa’s Senior Vice-President and Group Country Manager for North Africa, the Levant and Pakistan.
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.”
Hanae Ben Driss, Managing Director of Switch Al Maghrib, said the growing use of AI is changing both fraud prevention and cybercrime.
“The security of electronic payments is a fundamental pillar of trust for our national ecosystem. As transaction volumes grow and instant payments become the norm, the risk landscape is also evolving, with AI being used both as a defense mechanism and as an attack vector,” she said.
“By combining robust national infrastructure with advanced AI-driven capabilities, Switch Al Maghrib is strengthening the ecosystem’s collective ability to detect fraud in real time and help prevent it more effectively. This proactive approach helps Moroccan consumers and merchants embrace the convenience of digital and social commerce with greater confidence.”
