Amazon’s Prime Day is a favorite time of the year for Amazon customers, especially the 153 million customers who have Prime membership. But Amazon customers are not the only ones who look forward to Prime Day. The scale of the event also attracts scammers looking to have a field day conning unsuspecting Amazon shoppers out of sensitive, personal, or payment information.

Common Scams on Amazon Prime Day

Most scams that happen on Prime Day take on one or more of the following forms.

Fake Websites

This type of scam is based on typosquatting. Here, scammers create replicas of the real Amazon website. Everything looks and feels the same, from the user interface to the logo. But the website address is actually different, and you may suspect something is amiss when you log in.

The spelling of the fake website address will look like the real "www.amazon.com" at a quick glance. But it’s not. A double check will show a missing letter, extra letters, or special characters between the letters of the web address.

Most people land on these websites when they mistype the address name. Most fake websites will display a look-alike user dashboard when users attempt to log in. But, of course, the site will collect the user’s real login details and, later, their card details when they attempt to check out.

Phishing Texts or Emails

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Phishing texts and emails are more common than fake websites because they require less effort on the scammer’s end. Phishing also has the potential to reach many people at the same time. What’s more, with phishing messages, scammers don’t have to rely on the odds of a buyer misspelling the Amazon URL.

Scammers commonly send emails or texts containing promotional messages or inviting the recipient to claim some fictitious reward. Other times, the email or text is about some fictitious charge on the card linked to the customer’s account.

The goal is to get an unsuspecting customer to click a link in the message. Most times, clicking this link takes the customer to a fake website where they get prompts to provide personal data or credit card information.

Customer Support Scam Calls

Customer support scam calls are one of the most common types of scams that happen on Prime Day. Here, the scammer actually calls and claims to be an Amazon employee. Then, they offer to solve a fictitious problem for a small fee.

Or the scammers claim the customer has been chosen to receive a reward in a lucky draw. Then, they encourage the person to provide their login information or bank details to claim the reward.

Fake Customer Reviews

Prime Day is loud, and the buildup to the day itself is even louder. In an attempt to stand out among a cacophony of voices jostling for your attention and every dollar, sellers may resort to underhanded tactics like fake reviews.

Fake reviews have always been around. But with the help of generative AI, it is now easier to create convincing reviews on a much larger scale. New or small sellers often do this in a competitive spirit to drive the sale of legit products. However, there is no definitive way for you, the buyer, to separate wolf from sheep.

Substandard Products

When it comes to the quality of products you’ll see for sale on Prime Day, it can be a hit or miss. It can be hard to find quality in an ocean of low-priced products. It’s even more challenging if the product you want has few sellers or the brand does not have a presence in the marketplace.

There are nearly 2 million third-party sellers on Amazon; a quarter of these are in the United States and sell nearly 4 billion products annually, according to Amazon. While the service does require sellers to provide verifiable identity information, there is no individual vetting of every product they sell.

Of course, the online marketplace restricts listing and selling certain products—particularly products with strict safety requirements, such as alcohol, automotive parts, and food items. However, when it comes to the standard of unrestricted items sold, a lot of buying is based on trust. Trust that scammers can exploit. You’ll find out if the item you bought is durable, substandard, or meets your needs after you open the delivery box days later.

Fake Coupons, Promos, and Discount Codes

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Watch out for emails and advertisements pitching coupons and discount codes for hundreds of dollars in savings. Amazon promo codes are real, and you will find them on reputable consumer guide websites on Prime Day. They're also an opportunity for scammers.

Be wary of emails, advertisements, and even community forum posts asking you to provide certain details in exchange for coupons. Some even seem harmless—like only asking for your email address to mail the codes. Odds are they are attempts to farm emails for marketing campaigns. In exchange, you’ll likely get expired or fake codes in your inbox.

By then, of course, you’ve given your email address to a third party. Many compile and sell email databases to marketing vendors; yours could end up in a list cybercriminals use for email-based attacks.

How to Avoid Amazon Prime Day Scams

Here are some tips to avoid getting scammed:

  • Visit the Amazon website from your saved favorites or bookmarks instead of typing in the address. This way, you avoid the possibility of landing on a fake look-alike site created by scammers.
  • Watch out for emails or text messages that have an urgent tone to them. Amazon offers time-limited deals, but if the deal seems too good to be true, this gut feeling is most likely right.
  • Scammers use fake Amazon emails to steal money, so disregard threats or messages that require you to take action or risk losing your account otherwise. Instead, visit your Amazon account from your browser (not from a link in the mail). Any important message from Amazon will be on your account dashboard.
  • Use multi-factor authentication to protect your Amazon account. This extra security wall prevents scammers from accessing your account even if they got your login details some other way.
  • Don't believe every review you see, especially if you're buying from a seller for the first time. Look at their ratings and customer reviews of other products.
  • Promo codes are usually publicly listed on the websites that offer them. Don't give private information, email, or phone number in exchange for eye-watering discounts. If you must give an email address, create a disposable email instead.

Scams Don’t End After Prime Day

Yes, Prime Day is an opportunity for scammers to double down on defrauding unsuspecting customers. But scammers don’t have off-days. Scams continue, even after Prime Day. However, the tips we’ve discussed above are still relevant and can help you avoid getting scammed while shopping online.