ROANOKE, Va. – With Amazon Prime Day just around the corner, the Better Business Bureau is warning shoppers about common scams they may run into.
From June 21-22, folks with an Amazon Prime subscription will have exclusive access to a plethora of great deals on high-ticketed items, but this also might mean bad news for those susceptible to online scams.
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“This surge in online holiday shopping events drive demand for discounts earlier in the season but also give opportunities for bad actors to take advantage of an unexpected shopper looking for a deal,” says President and CEO of BBB Serving Western Virginia, Julie Wheeler.
BBB said that the six common scams seen during Amazon Prime Day include:
- Customer service phone calls
- Spoofed sites
- Malicious coupon redirects
- Gift card scams
- Email phishing marketing campaigns
- Emails or texts about shipment tracking and delivery problems.
Wheeler urges shoppers to be wary of clicking on social media ads, unsolicited calls, emails and texts from major retailers asking for personal and banking information, saying those are all red flags for scams.
Officials say there are some departments at Amazon that will call or message customers, but the company will never ask you to disclose or verify sensitive personal information like your tax ID, bank account number or credit card information.
If anyone calls or messages you to request payment for your Amazon Prime Day purchases through wire transfer, CashApp, gift cards or prepaid debit cards, don’t do it! These are red flags for fraud.
Scammers will also try to get you to act quickly by creating a sense of urgency for information, BBB says not to fall for it.
If you think you spotted a scam, you can report it to Amazon here, and if you’d like more information on how to identify whether a call or message is really from Amazon, click here.