As one of the largest events for deals and promotions on Amazon, some unscrupulous people will take advantage of the hype around Prime Day for their gain. Whether it’s scamming unsuspecting shoppers, selling products with artificially inflated reviews, or stealing packages off porches, there’s unfortunately no shortage of malicious acts that can affect you amidst all the great deals.
One of the best defenses against people who try to make a profit at your expense on Prime Day is buyer awareness. If you know the underhanded tactics these people use, you can better identify and avoid them. Keep reading to learn more about Prime Day scams and how to avoid them.
What Is Amazon Prime Day?
Amazon Prime Day is an annual event for Amazon Prime members that usually occurs on the second Tuesday and Wednesday of July. The event frequently features deep discounts on highly sought-after items like electronics, beauty products, appliances, and many more. In the lead-up to Prime Day, there are usually early deals and offers you can enjoy.
What Scams Are Commonly Found on Prime Day?
There are lots of types of scams you can find on Prime Day, and almost all of them aim to profit at your expense. Let’s look at some of the more common scams that you should watch out for.
Too-Good-to-Be-True Deals
Prime Day is filled with discounts and great deals, and sometimes that leads you to think that anything on sale during Prime Day is legitimate and is a great deal. Unfortunately, that’s not always the case. Some unscrupulous sellers like to advertise that a discount is deeper than it actually is.
For instance, a pair of shoes has a 50% Prime Day discount, bringing its original $100 price down to $50. However, when you check the item’s price history, it’s actually been sold for $60 until a few days before Prime Day.
Fake Reviews
The fake review problem is still one of the most prominent issues plaguing Amazon right now. Irresponsible sellers may use fake reviews to inflate their store’s reputation, tricking shoppers into buying substandard products.
Phishing Scams
While phishing scams are common year-round, they become even more prevalent around Prime Day season. Scammers can build elaborate fake sites that look very close to official Amazon pages to steal your login credentials and render you vulnerable to account hacking.
Additionally, you should watch out when looking at emails from Amazon because not all of them may be official Amazon emails. Emails are another common way scammers try to gain your Amazon account credentials.
A real Amazon email will always come from a verified domain such as @amazon.com or @amazon.co.uk. If the sender’s email address has strange characters, typos, or non-Amazon domains (e.g., @amaz0n-support.xyz), that’s a clear red flag.
Also, real Amazon emails don’t ask you to provide sensitive information like login credentials, credit card numbers, or your Social Security number. If an email uses scare tactics like “urgent account suspension” or asks you to click a link to verify your account, pause before taking any action. Don’t click the link. Just go directly to Amazon’s website and log in from there to check your account status.
Customer Service Scams
Another way scammers attempt to take control of your Amazon account is by posing as customer service personnel. They can contact you by phone or email, claiming to be an Amazon employee while telling you to provide your login details because your Amazon membership is in jeopardy.
Porch Pirates
Threats during Prime Day season aren’t always from the digital realm. Sometimes, they also show up in the real world. People buy a lot of things on Prime Day, which means there’s bound to be a lot of packages left on people’s doorsteps. Unfortunately, some people take this as an invitation to steal those packages when those shoppers are outside the house.
Identifying Amazon Prime Day Fake Deals
During the Prime Day season, fake deals and scams are plentiful. You’ll either encounter them while browsing for goods on Amazon or find them in your email inbox, and sometimes they come to you out of nowhere with unsolicited phone calls. To determine whether or not something is a scam, ask these questions:
- Is it too good to be true?
- Do these reviews look overly engineered?
- Does this seller have hundreds of good reviews despite using a brand-new account?
- Is the email sender or caller asking for my login credentials?
- Is the email sender or caller hurrying me to do whatever they requested?
- Does the email or page I’m reading not have “amazon.com” as part of its sender address or URL?
- Are there any glaring typos or spelling mistakes on the page or email?
If you see something that makes you say “yes” to any of the above questions, you’ve likely encountered a scam.
Protecting Yourself From Fake Prime Day Deals and Scams
Now that you know what Prime Day scams and fake deals look like, let’s look into how you can better protect yourself from them:
Stay Vigilant and Skeptical
The first and best thing to do when trying to identify scams is to stay vigilant and have a healthy dose of skepticism. During Prime Day season (or whenever you’re shopping on Amazon, for that matter), assume every seller is trying to scam you until you see proof otherwise.
The same goes for any email from Amazon. Assume they’re fake until you verify they’re officially sent from Amazon. Amazon rarely calls its members by phone, so if you’re called by someone claiming to be from Amazon, that’s already a red flag.
Never Provide Sensitive Information
A good rule of thumb is never to provide sensitive information to anyone. This includes login credentials, billing and mailing addresses, phone numbers, and credit card details. Most of the time, Amazon never asks for your login credentials, especially through phone or email. If you encounter someone claiming to be from Amazon asking for your login details, that’s probably a scammer.
Compare Prices and Check Sellers in Detail
Unscrupulous sellers and their fake deals can easily fly under the radar because you’re probably looking at hundreds of good deals throughout Prime Day. But if you spot a deal that seems too good to be true, stop and use a price comparison tool to check the item’s price history. What’s touted to be a deep discount may just be a 5% price cut from its original price just a couple of days ago.
The same goes for the seller’s reputation. If they already have hundreds of good reviews despite being a brand-new store, they might bribe Amazon shoppers or use fake reviews to inflate their review scores.
Use Browser Extensions and Tools to Spot Fake Deals
If you’re unsure whether a Prime Day deal is actually a deal, browser extensions can help. These tools track a product’s price history over time and flag inflated discounts. Check if your chosen tool can show whether a product’s current price is genuinely lower than usual, or if the “discount” is just based on an artificially inflated list price.
Tools that can analyze review patterns, detect suspicious behavior, and give a reliability grade for the product’s reviews are especially helpful. While Fakespot can no longer be used for this, there are still some alternatives worth trying, especially on big sale days. By using these tools, you get an unbiased view of whether you’re actually saving money or just being sold a fake markdown supported by fake reviews.
What to Do If You’ve Been Scammed
If you suspect you’ve fallen victim to a scam during Prime Day, act quickly to minimize the damage. Start by:
- Changing your Amazon password immediately, especially if you shared your credentials or clicked on a suspicious link.
- Review your recent orders and transactions in your Amazon account for anything you didn’t authorize.
- Contact Amazon customer support to report the issue. They may be able to block the scammer’s account and reverse any unauthorized charges.
- Report the scam to Amazon by forwarding phishing emails to [email protected] or using the “Report Abuse” link found on suspicious product pages.
- If financial data was compromised, notify your bank or credit card company to prevent further misuse.
Acting quickly can prevent further harm and help Amazon take action against scammers more effectively.
Conclusion
While Prime Day is a gold mine for deal-seekers and discount hunters, it’s also a hunting ground for scammers to prey on unsuspecting shoppers. You may fall victim to one of their irresponsible acts if you’re not vigilant.
To protect yourself from scams on Prime Day, it’s important to be a skeptic and verify any emails, calls, or sellers before taking further action. It’s also a good idea to report reviews that look fake to keep other shoppers from falling for scams. You should also refrain from providing sensitive information to people claiming to be from Amazon.
