Amazon Prime Day Is A Big Event For Scammers, Experts Warn

NEW YORK — Amazon Prime Day is approaching, and experts warn customers to be aware of scammers.

Deceptions like fraudulent emails from people mimicking internet shops like Amazon are not new. However, the Better Business Bureau reports that phishing attempts rise around major sales periods such as Black Friday and Prime Day.

“This is a huge moment on the retail calendar,” Josh Planos, vice president of communications and public relations for the Better Business Bureau, told The Associated Press. “And because of that, it represents an enormous opportunity for a scammer, con artist or even just an unethical business or organization to capitalize on the moment and separate folks from their hard-earned money.”

Prime Day, a two-day discount event for Amazon Prime subscribers, begins on Tuesday and continues through Wednesday. The Better Business Bureau issued a revised caution last week, reminding customers to be wary of lookalike websites, too-good-to-be-true social media ads, and unwanted emails or calls during this month’s sales events.

Amazon Prime Day Is A Big Event For Scammers, Experts Warn

Consumers may need to be more attentive this year than any before. In June, the Better Business Bureau released a study stating that it received a record amount of phishing reports in 2023. Reports have also been rising upward this year, according to the organization.

Meanwhile, Check Point Software Technologies, an Israeli cybersecurity company, said this month that more than 1,230 new Amazon-related websites appeared in June. Check Point reported that most of them were malicious or appeared suspicious.

Scott Knapp, Amazon’s director of worldwide buyer risk prevention, notes two areas where the company has witnessed hoaxes during Prime Day in recent years: Prime membership and order confirmations.

According to Knapp’s emailed statement, more than two-thirds of scams reported by Amazon customers last year claimed to be connected to purchase or account concerns. Knapp explained that people reported receiving unsolicited calls or emails claiming there was a problem with their Prime subscription and requesting bank account or other payment details to reinstate the accounts.

He said that urging customers to confirm an order they did not place is another prevalent approach at this time of year. Scammers may use a costly item, such as a smartphone, to attract attention and request payment details or send a harmful link. They may also attempt to entice customers with promises of a gift or by employing language that generates a false feeling of urgency.

Amazon is working “to ensure scammers are not using our brand to take advantage of people who trust us,” Knapp wrote. The company’s app or website allows customers to authenticate their purchases and verify messages.

Additional scams are out there, but predicting what form they’ll take before this year’s Prime Day is difficult. However, experts observe that the same shopping frauds reemerge year after year.

“Typically, the bones remain the same,” Planos added, citing fake delivery scams, email phishing, and other common approaches. “It’s always a ploy to separate consumers from (their) personal and payment information.”

However, Planos and others caution that online hoaxes are continually changing and becoming more sophisticated. This implies that photographs appear more authentic, text messages sound more convincing, and fraudulent websites resemble reputable shopping places.

According to Amazon’s Knapp, with artificial intelligence “starting to leak in,” frauds targeting e-commerce buyers take the same strategy, but with a machine populating an email or text rather than a person.

According to Federal Trade Commission data, consumers reported losing around $10 billion to fraud in 2023, representing a 14% increase over 2022. According to the FTC, online shopping scams were the second most commonly reported type of fraud, trailing only impostor scams.

Throughout the year, the FTC and the Better Business Bureau educate customers with recommendations on how to prevent scams. The guidance includes rejecting unwanted communications, not exposing financial information to unsolicited callers, and double-checking URLs before clicking – secure websites, for example, will have “HTTPS” in the URL, not “HTTP.”

Scammers frequently encourage you to respond quickly, according to experts. It’s critical to pause and trust your instincts. Experts also encourage customers to report scams to regulators.

Aside from frauds that imitate firms or stores, be wary of counterfeit products and phony reviews on the websites of reputable retailers. Just because you are shopping on Amazon, for example, does not imply that you are purchasing from Amazon. Online shopping giants like eBay, Walmart, and others have extensive third-party markets.

Amazon Prime Day Is A Big Event For Scammers, Experts Warn

According to Planos, the quality and appearance of counterfeit products have improved dramatically in recent years, making the practice harder to control. A decent rule of thumb is to look at the price tag; if the product is sold for less than 75% of its annual market rate, “that’s a pretty big red flag,” he says.

Sketchy merchants can appear on many platforms, including sites like Amazon, “all the time,” according to Planos, who advises consumers to check out organizations on the Better Business Bureau website. Counterfeit products, like other scams, may become more prevalent during peak shopping seasons.

In recent years, Amazon has acknowledged getting rid of millions of fake products in response to mounting demand to combat counterfeit goods. The corporation also claimed to have prevented billions of fraudulent listings from appearing on its website. In 2023, Amazon stated that more than 7 million counterfeit items were “identified, seized, and appropriately disposed of.” The online shop has also launched many cases against fraudulent review brokers.

Amazon emphasizes that users can use its website to report fraudulent reviews and other scams. If a buyer purchases a counterfeit item found by the corporation, Amazon has stated that it will “proactively contact” the client and issue a refund.

SOURCE | AP