Be Aware of These Common Amazon Prime Day Scams

Since its launch in 2015, Amazon Prime Day has gained immense popularity with each passing year. The 48-hour annual online event gives Prime members access to a wide range of products at significantly discounted prices. 

But along with these opportunities for bargains, fraudsters have also found ways to dupe consumers with Amazon scams.

This article highlights the most common Amazon Prime Day scams and how to avoid them.

Key Insights

• In 2024, Amazon generated $14.2 billion in Prime Day sales from 180 million shoppers.
• Amazon has a 2.9 rating out of a possible 5 stars with over 49,700 reviews.
• Consumer complaints indicate that the most common Prime Day scams include unsolicited calls, phishing emails, fake deals, and counterfeit products, among others.

Watch Out for These Amazon Prime Day Signs of Fraud

Amazon Prime Day scams take various forms, and fraudsters use different tactics. However, some common features can help you identify fraud. 

To protect yourself while shopping on Amazon, watch out for these telltale scam signs:

• Money requests: If someone asks you to pay money over email or phone to resolve a customer issue, think twice, as Amazon reports they never ask for money like this. 
• Gift cards: You may be asked to pay someone entirely on a gift card. This is a red flag as gift cards are easy to redeem and hard to trace, making them a favorite tool of scammers. Amazon won’t ask you to pay on a gift card.
• Urgent messages: Scammers pressurize shoppers with limited time frames or a loss of money. They may ask you to click links to share personal information, which Amazon would not. 

If you encounter a problem, you should first contact Amazon customer service. Don’t be afraid to ask any Amazon questions you have as it can help in better understanding your issue and offering necessary steps to resolve it.

Common Types of Amazon Prime Day Scams and Ways to Avoid Them

Now that you know about the telltale signs of scams, ensure you will not become one of the exploited buyers. 

Here are some common examples of Amazon Prime Day scams and how to avoid them.

Prime membership scam

Beware that Prime Membership scams are quite common. Often, scammers use them to steal customers’ personal and financial information. They pretend to be Amazon representatives and send convincing emails, texts, or create fake websites to trick victims into sharing sensitive information.

For instance, one Reddit user faced this type of scam. They received a fake email, claiming their membership had expired. Scammers tried to convince the consumer to get a free subscription in one click.

Source: reddit.com

In this email, fraudsters misspelled the word “Amazon” and printed it as “Amazn.” Additionally, the email featured a Prime Video logo instead of the standard Prime logo, which raised the customer’s suspicion.

How to avoid: Always verify the source of any communication, steer clear of suspicious links, and if you have any concerns, reach out to Amazon customer service directly through their official channels.

Finally, you should be careful with the tempting promises of “free Amazon Prime subscription approval,” especially if you are already subscribed to the service. 

Unsolicited calls

If you get a call claiming to be from an Amazon adviser asking you to share personal information or credit card details, this is unlikely to be real. Previous Amazon Prime Day scam attempts have included asking people to download software that the fraudsters will use to access your bank account. 

For example, in review #6606237, the customer shared that they received a call from someone claiming to be from Amazon. The caller stated that the customer had a $1,400 purchase pending. Concerned, the reviewer called Amazon to follow up on the issue. A helpful customer service representative confirmed that it was likely a scam call.

How to avoid: Scammers may try to get you to confirm an order that you never placed to gain access to your information. Remember to avoid sharing any sensitive data over the phone or by email, as this is not how Amazon operates. 

Phishing emails

Email fraud is quite common around Amazon Prime Day. Scammers send phishing emails to get access to your information.

Phishing emails are fraudulent emails that look like they are from Amazon but are designed to get you to share personal information. This could be telling you your account is locked and to click on a link and share your personal data, like below:

Source: Facebook.com

How to avoid: A good rule of thumb is that Amazon will never ask for personal information over email.

Lookalike websites

In the run-up to Amazon Prime Day, scammers create fake Amazon websites to attract you away from the authentic site. Here is an example:

Source: Trend Micro

They offer attractive bargains to lure customers into these fake websites. Typically, they ask you to share your personal information so they can steal your card details or account information. 

In review #6153127, the customer fell victim to a fake Amazon website and ended up losing $50.

I was charged $50.00 for a product that was on a Fake website using your logo to scam people for funds.

How to avoid: Stay safe by double-checking the website URL and looking for security indicators to confirm that it is indeed the official Amazon website. The real URL is www.amazon.com, so anything even slightly different should be avoided. 

To avoid Amazon fake deals, resist too-good-to-be-true offers and discounts. The best way to get the best deals is by comparing the prices of similar products on Amazon. 

Fake discounts

A fake Amazon sale involves scammers taking over product listings and altering details to promote a heavily discounted item. This tricks buyers into thinking they are getting a deal, such as reviewer #4783306:

Looking at Prime days deals and the kitchen set says original set price was $60.99 and it will be 40% off. When I click on the item it says its $209.99.

How to avoid: Be wary of unrealistic prices, especially when it comes to trendy items. Check the seller’s reviews and see if there are differences between the listing and the original product description. 

Fake Order Confirmations

You receive an Amazon order confirmation, but if it doesn’t come from the amazon.com domain, then it’s definitely fake. A fake order confirmation will ask you to click a ‘track your package’ link, which could hoodwink you into sharing your personal details, like below:

Source: reddit.com

How to avoid: Never click on suspicious links, and check the domain of the site. It’s unlikely to be from Amazon, as they don’t usually contact you this way. 

Counterfeit Products

Another common Amazon Prime Day scam involves counterfeit products. Whereby, scammers list fake or low-quality items to undercut sellers of genuine products. They price these items at lower prices to lure unsuspecting customers. 

In review #6605543, the customer encountered these fake products. They wrote:

I purchased a $300.00 item from Amazon and received a $50-$99.99 item, not the brand name I purchased….

Luckily for the customer, the issue was resolved and they received a refund after leaving a review on our platform. While another one bought a fake perfume as per their review #5558930:

I want to get my money back but the policy cant return…help to get my money coz I work hard to pay for the product I dont deserve the fake channel...

How to avoid: Check who is selling the product – this can be found under the ‘in stock’ statement on a product listing. Check the seller’s background to ensure they are genuine. 

Fake Reviews

Another tactic commonly used by scammers to attract customers is fake reviews. Scammers understand that customers rely on online reviews to establish if a product is worth buying. Therefore, they publish positive reviews to create a good impression for their low-quality or counterfeit products. 

While Amazon is keen on cracking down on such reviews, some go unnoticed, leading customers to doubt the trustworthiness of the platform.

For example, in one review, the customer wrote, 

…Amazon is infamous for posting fake reviews claiming they had no idea it wasn't real. You have to question every aspect of the shopping experience, and reviews are the hardest…

How to avoid: Scrutinize reviews. Look out for suspicious patterns such as excessive praise, similar wording in multiple reviews, spelling errors, and too many positive reviews posted within a short time, among others.

Fraudulent social media ads

Amazon scammers are using social media ads to capture the attention of potential victims and get them to share details. These can be used to create fake reviews of their counterfeit goods, like the example below:

Source: reddit.com

How to avoid: It’s always a good policy to think twice before sharing any information with social media contacts, even if you think they are genuinely linked to Amazon. The company would never contact you over social media. 

How to Report Amazon Prime Scams

If you have been a victim of an Amazon Prime scam, you can and should always report it to get justice. To improve your situation, share your consumer issues to gain some helpful advice. 

Firstly, contact Amazon to report a scam to their customer service and let them know if you have shared your account information. Secondly, if you have responded to a phishing email, you can forward it to Amazon to investigate the issue further. 

Stay Ahead of Amazon Prime Day Scams

Losing money or not getting the product you want can be incredibly frustrating. That is why you must be vigilant and look out for common Amazon Prime Day scams discussed above. 

Have you encountered any of these scams? Share your experience with other shoppers to help them avoid falling victim.