How to Spot Prime Day Shopping Scams and Keep Your Money Safe
Amazon Prime Day is one of the biggest online shopping events of the year. With millions of people hunting for deals, scammers know this is a perfect moment to strike. The Better Business Bureau (BBB) recently issued a warning about the rise in online shopping scams tied to Prime Day. If you’re planning to shop the sales, it helps to know what kinds of tricks are out there and how to avoid them.
What Happened
On June 22, 2026, the BBB published a consumer alert pointing to an increase in fraudulent activity around Amazon Prime Day, which is typically held in mid-July. The warning highlights several common scam types: phishing emails that appear to come from Amazon, fake websites that mimic the real checkout page, and third‑party sellers offering counterfeit or nonexistent products at steep discounts. Scammers often use urgency—such as “limited time only” or “your order has been flagged”—to push shoppers into clicking links or sharing personal information without thinking.
Why It Matters
Prime Day creates a sense of urgency and excitement that can lower our usual guard. A fake email about a package delivery problem or a too‑good‑to‑be‑true deal on a popular gadget can be very convincing. The consequences go beyond losing money on a single purchase. If a scammer gets your credit card details, they can make unauthorized charges. Phishing links can install malware on your device or steal login credentials for Amazon and other accounts. According to the BBB, consumers lost millions to online shopping scams in previous years, and major sale events are when complaints spike.
What Readers Can Do
Here are practical steps you can take to protect yourself, based on the BBB’s recommendations and common fraud‑prevention practices.
Watch for Red Flags in Emails and Ads
Phishing emails often claim there’s a problem with your account or an order, and ask you to click a link to “verify” information. Look for generic greetings like “Dear Customer” instead of your name, misspelled words, and email addresses that don’t end in @amazon.com. If an ad on social media promises a 90% discount on a hot new product, it’s almost certainly a fake.
Verify Deals and Sellers
Always go to Amazon directly—open the official app or type amazon.com into your browser yourself. Don’t click promotional links from emails or social media posts. When shopping from a third‑party seller, check their ratings, read recent reviews, and look for signs of fake reviews (many five‑star reviews posted on the same day, for example). The BBB advises that if a deal is much lower than the regular price on other reputable sites, treat it with suspicion.
Use Safe Payment Methods
Pay with a credit card whenever possible. Credit cards offer stronger fraud protection compared to debit cards, and you can dispute unauthorized charges more easily. Avoid wire transfers, gift cards, or peer‑to‑peer payment apps for purchases from unfamiliar sellers—scammers almost always ask for these because they are hard to reverse.
Secure Your Account
Enable two‑factor authentication on your Amazon account. This adds an extra step when logging in, making it harder for someone who steals your password to actually access your account. After you finish shopping, monitor your bank and credit card statements for any charges you don’t recognize. Report anything unusual immediately.
If You Think You’ve Been Scammed
Act quickly. Contact your credit card company or bank to report the fraudulent charge and ask for a chargeback. Change your Amazon password and revoke any permissions you may have given to third‑party apps. File a report with the BBB’s Scam Tracker (bbb.org/scamtracker) and with Amazon’s customer service. The more details you provide, the better chance you have of recovering your money and helping to shut down the scam.
Sources
- BBB Warning, June 22, 2026 (via WBKO)
- Better Business Bureau Scam Tracker
- Amazon official security guidelines
Prime Day can be a great chance to save money, but only if you keep your guard up. Stick to the official website, question anything that feels urgent or unrealistic, and protect your payment methods. A few extra minutes of caution can save you hours of frustration later.