Shop Safe on Prime Day: How to Spot and Avoid Online Shopping Scams

Amazon Prime Day has become one of the biggest online shopping events of the year. Millions of consumers hunt for deals on electronics, home goods, and other products, often under tight time limits. Unfortunately, that same sense of urgency and excitement also attracts scammers.

The Better Business Bureau (BBB) has issued a warning ahead of this year’s Prime Day, noting that fraudulent activity typically spikes during major sales events. Their advice is worth paying attention to, especially if you plan to shop online in the coming weeks.

What’s Happening

The BBB’s warning focuses on several common scams that tend to appear around Prime Day and similar sales. These include:

  • Fake websites designed to look like Amazon or other legitimate retailers. They may use similar logos, layouts, and even minor misspellings in the URL (e.g., “amaz0n-deals.com”).
  • Phishing emails that claim to offer exclusive early access to deals or ask you to confirm your account details. These often contain links that lead to fraudulent login pages.
  • Social media ads promoting too-good-to-be-true prices on popular items. Clicking the ad may take you to a site that never delivers the product.
  • Imposter customer support – scammers posing as Amazon support agents who contact you about a fake problem with your order, then request payment or personal information.

The BBB’s warning aligns with alerts from the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), which has documented a sharp rise in online shopping fraud during major sales events in recent years.

Why It Matters

When you fall for one of these scams, the damage often goes beyond losing the money you paid for a product that never arrives. Scammers may also capture your credit card details, home address, and even your Amazon login credentials. That information can be used for identity theft or further fraud.

The financial losses can add up quickly. According to FTC data, consumers reported losing more than $8 billion to fraud in 2024, with online shopping scams accounting for a significant portion. And because these scams are designed to look legitimate, even experienced online shoppers can be fooled.

The timing of Prime Day makes it especially dangerous. People are in a rush, deals are fleeting, and the usual caution can slip. Scammers know this and adjust their tactics accordingly.

What You Can Do

You don’t need to avoid Prime Day altogether. A few straightforward precautions can drastically reduce your risk.

Stick to official apps and websites. Download the Amazon app from your phone’s official app store, and type “amazon.com” directly into your browser rather than clicking links in emails or social media posts. If a deal seems too good, verify it by searching for the product on Amazon’s own site.

Watch for red flags in emails. Legitimate Amazon emails will come from addresses ending in “@amazon.com.” Examine the sender carefully. If an email asks you to log in or enter payment details, do not click the link. Instead, open a browser and go directly to your Amazon account to check for messages.

Pay with a credit card or a service like PayPal, not with debit cards or wire transfers. Credit cards and payment services often offer fraud protection that can help you recover your money if something goes wrong. Debit cards have weaker protections, and wire transfers or gift cards are almost never recoverable.

Enable two-factor authentication on your Amazon account. This adds an extra layer of security. Even if a scammer gets your password, they won’t be able to log in without the code sent to your phone.

Be skeptical of “exclusive” pre-sale offers or customer support calls that arrive out of the blue. Amazon generally does not call customers unsolicited about account problems. If you receive such a call, hang up and contact Amazon directly through their official support channels.

If You Get Scammed

Act quickly. Contact your bank or credit card issuer to dispute the charge and report the fraud. Change your Amazon password and any other accounts that may have used the same password. File a report with the BBB’s Scam Tracker and the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov. These reports help authorities track scammers and warn other consumers.

Sources

  • Better Business Bureau warning on online shopping scams ahead of Amazon Prime Day (reported by WBKO and other outlets).
  • Federal Trade Commission resources on avoiding online shopping scams and reporting fraud.

Prime Day can still be a good opportunity to save money on things you need. The key is to slow down, double-check before you click, and remember that a real deal doesn’t require you to ignore common sense.