Beware of Amazon Prime Day Scams
There is no doubt that Amazon Prime Day is one of the biggest days for online shopping. With a variety of exclusive deals that drop every 30 minutes, you can rest assured that you shop until you drop – all without blowing a major hole in your bank account.
In 2023, Amazon Prime Day starts on July 11 at 3 a.m. and ends on July 12. But before you gear up to nab some discounted deals, you also need to be aware of Amazon Prime Day scams that run rampant before, during, and even after this popular online event.
What Are Amazon Prime Day Scams?
According to the Better Business Bureau, Prime Day scams can take many forms. But in almost all cases, it is easy to steer clear of bad actors if you know what to watch out for.
To help you identify red flags, here is an overview of what scams could entail around Prime Day.
Fake Social Media Ads
Despite the efforts from social media platforms to stop illegitimate advertising campaigns, many bad actors still slip through the cracks. This calls for you to be vigilant about the ads that you see on social media.
If an ad banner or video catches enough of your attention for you to click on it, immediately check if the ad redirects to the associated retailer’s own website. In case that doesn’t hold true, you should immediately back away from the website that the ad led you to.
Emails and Phone Calls
One of the most common Amazon Prime Day scams comes in the form of unsolicited emails and calls. These emails are designed to replicate the format of Amazon’s or a retailer’s official email format. While those visuals can be deceiving, a look at the sender’s address tells you all you need to know about the legitimacy of these emails.
As for phone calls, you need to remind yourself that most reliable retailers would not call you out of the blue, while none of them would push you for a sale through the phone. If you receive a call that pitches something too good to be true, it probably is.
Duplicate Websites
Scammers conduct bad business, but they do it in a highly meticulous, planned, and careful manner. This also leads them to create duplicate websites that look exactly like Amazon or some retailers. At first glance, these websites look exactly like the real deal. But that is where you have to be careful about their actual identity.
By taking a look at the address bar of your browser, you can identify if you are on a legitimate website. Any variations in the domain name (abc.com to abcd.com) or prefix (abc.com to abc.net) means that the website is fake. This is an indication that you need to steer clear of these sites.
These points are not difficult to remember, but they can go a long way in helping you protect yourself against Amazon Prime Day scams. As a rule of thumb, you can make it a habit to only shop from Amazon during Prime Day and avoid any third-party channels that promise to find hidden deals for you.