NEW YORK (AP) – Amazon peak day It’s now clear, and experts are reminding consumers to beware of scams.
Deception Such as fake emails from people impersonating online retailers such as Amazon It’s nothing new. But Phishing attempts U.S. retail sales are up amid the heavy spending seen during major sales events, whether it’s Black Friday or Prime Day, according to the Bureau of Business Improvement.
“This is a huge moment in the retail calendar,” said Josh Blanos, vice president of communications and public relations at the Better Business Bureau, who previously worked at Apple. He told the Associated Press“Because of this, it represents a huge opportunity for scammers, fraudsters or even unethical companies or organizations to take advantage of the moment and deprive people of their hard-earned money.”
Prime Day, which is two days Discount event Amazon Prime’s “super sale” campaign kicks off Tuesday and runs through Wednesday. In updated guidance published last week, the business improvement agency reminded consumers to beware of lookalike websites, social media ads that seem too good to be true, and unsolicited emails or calls during sales events this month.
Consumers may need to be more vigilant this year than ever before. In June, the Business Improvement Bureau released a report saying it received a record number of phishing reports in 2023. The organization said reports are also on track to rise so far this year.
Meanwhile, Israeli-based cybersecurity firm Check Point Software Technologies said in a report this month that more than 1,230 new Amazon-linked websites appeared in June. The vast majority of them were malicious or looked suspicious, according to Check Point.
Scott Knapp, Amazon’s director of global buyer risk prevention, identifies two areas where the company has seen Prime Day fraud in recent years: Premium Membership And order confirmations.
last yearFor example, more than two-thirds of scams reported by Amazon customers claimed to be related to order or account issues, Knapp wrote in an emailed statement. People reported receiving unsolicited calls or emails saying there was an error with their Prime membership and asking for bank account information or other payment information to reactivate accounts, Knapp explained.
He added that getting consumers to confirm an order they didn’t place is also a common tactic this time of year. Scammers may choose an expensive item, like a smartphone, to grab attention — and then ask for payment information again or send a malicious link. They may also try to lure consumers in with promises of freebies, or with language that creates a false sense of urgency.
Amazon is trying to “ensure that scammers don’t use our brand to take advantage of people who trust us,” Knapp wrote, adding that customers can confirm their purchases and check messages from the company on its app or website.
There are likely more scams out there, but it’s hard to know what form they might take before Prime Day rolls around this year. However, experts note that the same shopping scams tend to resurface year after year.
“The bones are usually the same,” said Planos, referring to delivery scams, email phishing and other recurring tactics. “It’s always a ploy to separate consumers from their personal information and their payment information.”
But online scams are constantly evolving to become more sophisticated, Planos and others warn. That means photos can look more legitimate, text messages can look more convincing, and fake websites look very similar to real shopping sites.
Amazon’s Nab said that with artificial intelligence “The scams are starting to leak out.” E-Commerce Shoppers take the same approach but use a device to fill out the email or text instead of a person.
Consumers reported losing nearly $10 billion to fraud in 2023, up 14% from 2022, according to data from the Federal Trade Commission. Online shopping scams were the second most commonly reported form of fraud, after scams by con artists, the FTC said.
The Federal Trade Commission and the Bureau of Consumer Business Improvement provide advice To avoid scams year-round, guidelines include blocking spam, not giving out financial information to unsolicited callers and checking links before clicking on them — for example, secure sites will have “HTTPS” in the URL, Planos notes, never “HTTP.”
Experts say scammers often pressure you to act immediately. It’s important to stop and trust your instincts. Experts also urge consumers to report scams to regulators.
In addition to scams that impersonate companies or retailers, it is also important to be wary of counterfeit products and Fake Reviews On trusted retailer sites. For example, just shopping on Amazon doesn’t mean you’re buying from Amazon. Online shopping giantLike eBay, Walmart, and others, Amazon has huge third-party marketplaces.
Quality and appearance Counterfeit products This phenomenon has increased significantly in recent years, Planos notes, making it difficult to monitor the activity. A good rule of thumb is to look at the price of the product—if the product is selling for less than 75% of its market price over the course of a year, “that’s a big red flag,” he says.
Planos said suspicious sellers can pop up on various platforms, including sites like Amazon, “all the time,” and urged consumers to check companies on the Better Business Bureau website. websiteAs with other scams, sales of counterfeit products may increase during periods of high spending.
Amid mounting pressure to address the counterfeiting problem, Amazon said it has removed millions of fake products in recent years. The company said it has also blocked billions of bad listings from appearing on its site. In 2023, Amazon said more than 7 million fake items were “identified, confiscated, and appropriately disposed of.” The online retailer has also been the target of numerous complaints. Lawsuits Against Fake Review Brokers.
Amazon notes that customers can also report fake reviews and other scams on websiteAmazon said it will “proactively” contact the customer and offer a refund if a shopper purchases a counterfeit product that the company discovers.