How to Avoid Online Shopping Scams This Amazon Prime Day

Amazon Prime Day is one of the year’s biggest shopping events, but it’s also a feeding frenzy for scammers. The Better Business Bureau (BBB) issued a warning on June 22, 2026, urging shoppers to be on guard against a spike in online shopping scams surrounding the event. Phishing emails, fake deals, counterfeit products, and look-alike websites all tend to increase when millions of people are hunting for bargains. Here’s what you need to know — and what you can do to protect your money and personal information.

What happened

The BBB’s warning highlights several common scam tactics that have cropped up ahead of this year’s Prime Day. These include emails and text messages that appear to come from Amazon but actually lead to phishing sites designed to steal login credentials or payment details. Scammers also flood social media and search results with ads for “too-good-to-be-true” deals that often pay for a product that never arrives. In other cases, counterfeit goods are sold by third-party sellers with little or no track record. The BBB advises consumers to treat any unsolicited message about a Prime Day deal with caution.

Why it matters

Prime Day is a concentrated period of high-volume, time-sensitive shopping. That sense of urgency is exactly what scammers exploit. When you’re trying to snap up a deal before it’s gone, you’re less likely to double-check a URL or verify a seller’s reputation. The result can be lost money, a compromised bank account, or identity theft. According to the BBB’s 2025 Scam Tracker Risk Report, online shopping scams are among the riskiest for consumers, with a median dollar loss that has increased year over year. Prime Day makes an already risky activity more dangerous.

What readers can do

The good news is a few simple habits can dramatically lower your chances of getting taken. Here are the most effective steps, based on the BBB’s guidance and common sense.

1. Think before you click.
If you get an email or text about a Prime Day deal, don’t click any links. Instead, go directly to Amazon.com (or the app) and search for the product or deal there. Scammers are very good at making fake messages look authentic — down to logos and official-sounding language. The safest path is to ignore the message entirely.

2. Watch for fake deals and pop-up ads.
A “90% off” offer on social media is almost certainly a scam, especially if it comes from an account you don’t know. Likewise, pop-up ads that claim you’ve “won” a gift card or a special early-access code are phishing attempts. Legitimate Prime Day deals are announced on Amazon’s own site and app. Stick with those.

3. Check the seller before you buy.
Amazon hosts millions of third-party sellers, and not all are reliable. Before hitting “buy,” click the seller’s name to see their ratings, how long they’ve been on the platform, and what other customers say. Avoid sellers with few reviews or generic storefront names. If a product listing looks like it was copied from another seller — poor grammar, stock photos, no product details — that’s a red flag.

4. Use a secure payment method.
Credit cards and reputable payment services like PayPal offer better fraud protection than debit cards or direct bank transfers. If something goes wrong — the item never arrives, it’s counterfeit, or your card is used without permission — you have a clear path to dispute the charge. Avoid wire transfers, gift cards, or peer-to-peer apps like Venmo for purchases with unknown sellers.

5. Monitor your accounts after you shop.
Even if a transaction goes smoothly, check your credit card and bank statements in the days following Prime Day. Scammers sometimes make small test charges before larger ones. Also watch for unexpected password reset emails. If you see anything suspicious, contact your bank and Amazon immediately. You can also report scams to the BBB’s Scam Tracker and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC).

Quick checklist for safer Prime Day shopping:

  • Ignore unsolicited emails and texts about deals
  • Type Amazon’s URL manually, never click a link
  • Verify seller ratings and history
  • Use a credit card or PayPal
  • Review statements for a week after shopping

Sources

  • BBB warning issued June 22, 2026, reported by WBKO [link to article]
  • BBB Scam Tracker Risk Report (2025 edition) – median online shopping scam losses
  • Amazon’s own Prime Day safety tips (amazon.com/primeday/safety)

Shopping during Prime Day doesn’t have to be risky. The hype is real, but so are the scams — and knowing what to look for is your best defense.