BBB Warns of Online Shopping Scams Ahead of Amazon Prime Day – What You Need to Know

With Amazon Prime Day just around the corner, shoppers are already hunting for deals. But scammers are also gearing up, and the Better Business Bureau (BBB) has issued a warning about a surge in online shopping scams targeting Prime Day and other major sales events. The warning, published on June 22, 2026, comes as promotional emails and social media ads flood inboxes and feeds. If you’re planning to shop during Prime Day (or during rival sales that launch at the same time), it pays to know what to watch for.

What Happened

The BBB’s alert, covered by WBKO, highlights several common scam tactics that tend to spike around high-volume shopping days. These include:

  • Phishing emails that appear to come from Amazon or other retailers, offering “exclusive early access” or “limited-time deals.” The links in these emails often lead to fake login pages designed to steal your credentials.
  • Fake websites that mimic the look of Amazon, Target, or Walmart. They use domain names that differ by just one letter (e.g., “amzon-prime-deals.com”) and often show deep discounts on popular items.
  • Social media ads for products that don’t exist. Scammers create polished listings for electronics or home goods at prices that seem too good to be true – because they are.
  • Counterfeit goods sold through third-party marketplace sellers, even on legitimate platforms. The product photos may look real, but what arrives is a low-quality knockoff or nothing at all.

The BBB notes that these scams tend to escalate as Prime Day nears, and they often continue through the holiday shopping season.

Why It Matters

Major sales events create a perfect environment for fraud. Shoppers are in a hurry, deals come and go quickly, and many people let their guard down when they see a big discount. According to the BBB’s scam tracker reports, consumers lose millions of dollars each year to online shopping scams, and the numbers spike during events like Prime Day, Black Friday, and Cyber Monday.

Beyond the financial loss, victims also risk having their personal information – names, addresses, credit card numbers – stolen and used for identity theft. The stakes are higher than just a wasted purchase.

This year’s Prime Day is also notable because it launches alongside major rival sales from other retailers (as reported by MSN). That means more promotional emails, more ads, and more opportunity for scammers to blend in.

What Readers Can Do

There’s no need to skip the sales entirely, but a few straightforward precautions can make a big difference.

1. Verify the sender before clicking. If you get an email about a Prime Day deal, don’t click the link. Instead, go directly to Amazon.com (or the retailer’s official site) and log in there. Legitimate promotions will appear in your account or can be found by searching on the site.

2. Check the URL carefully. Before entering any payment information on a site you don’t know, look at the address bar. Is it really amazon.com? Or does it have extra words, misspellings, or a .club or .top domain? When in doubt, type the store’s address yourself rather than clicking a link.

3. Read seller reviews and ratings. On marketplaces like Amazon, look at the seller’s history. Genuine sellers with thousands of positive reviews over many years are far safer than a seller with only a few recent reviews that all sound similar (which can be faked).

4. Use a credit card, not a debit card or wire transfer. Credit cards offer stronger fraud protection under federal law. If something goes wrong, you can dispute the charge. Wire transfers, gift cards, and cryptocurrency are nearly impossible to recover.

5. Be skeptical of deals that seem impossibly good. A brand-new laptop for 80% off? A game console for half price? Scammers rely on the emotional pull of a bargain. If the price looks unrealistic, it’s almost certainly a trap.

6. Watch for urgency and pressure. Phrases like “only 3 left at this price” or “offer expires in 10 minutes” are designed to make you act without thinking. Legitimate sales do use urgency, but scammers abuse it. Pause and verify before buying.

If You Get Scammed

If you think you’ve fallen for a Prime Day scam, act quickly:

  • Contact your bank or credit card issuer to report the unauthorized charge and request a reversal.
  • Change your passwords for the affected accounts (and any other accounts that use the same password).
  • Report the scam to the BBB’s Scam Tracker (bbb.org/scamtracker) and to the Federal Trade Commission (reportfraud.ftc.gov).
  • If you gave away personal information like your Social Security number, consider placing a fraud alert on your credit file.

Sources

  • BBB warning reported by WBKO, June 22, 2026 (article via Google News)
  • MSN coverage of Amazon Prime Day 2026, June 23, 2026

This article is based on publicly available warnings and reports. Details about specific scam techniques may evolve as new patterns emerge.