BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WIAT) — Ahead of Amazon Prime Day, the Better Business Bureau is making sure customers don't get taken advantage of when trying to find the best deals.
Carl Bates is the President and CEO of the BBB in Birmingham. He said online shopping scams are big, especially during promotional periods.
“The next week or so, it’s a popular day, Amazon Prime Day, a lot of scammers out there,” Bates said. “Amazon is the number two most impersonated company out there.”
According to the BBB Scam Tracker, in 2023 more than 40 percent of scams reported were online purchase scams. Over 82 percent of those targeted by these scams ended up losing money.
The BBB reports online scams involve fake websites, social media and email. Amazon is the second most impersonated company, according to the BBB Scam Tracker.
“You will see a plethora of offers over the next few days and weeks,” Bates said. “The 16th and 17th are Prime days. The offers are already starting to come through for special items.”
Bates said to be wary of emails from popular retailers because it could be an email phishing attempt. He also warned to watch out for social media ads with lookalike websites.
“Make sure it’s HTTPS and has a little lock on it so you know it’s truly a website and not a fake one,” Bates said.
According to Bates, scammers like to lure shoppers with low prices on popular products. He said it’s important to always use a credit card for online purchases because you can contest the charges if they are not legitimate.
“You always want to pay with a credit card,” Bates said. “Any online offer you subscribe to or you purchase, you have then a chance to recover it if you’ve been scammed by contacting your credit card company.”
If you think you’ve been scammed, you can report it to the BBB, contact the impersonated company to let them know this is happening and be sure to notify your bank or credit card company.