PADUCAH — It’s Amazon Prime Day, when Amazon offers discounts on tons of products during the 48-hour sale.
While consumers are looking for a good deal, scammers are searching for them. According to the Better Business Bureau, phishing attempts increase with heavy spending during big sales events like these.
Fake websites, fake reviews, and fake products are all ways that scammers can take shoppers’ money during online shopping.
According to the BBB, in 2023, more than 27% of people will fall victim to these scams — but there are ways to protect shoppers can protect their money.
Online shopping is an activity most people in the U.S. partake in, including Kassidee Williams.
She was scammed once when shopping for shoes on Amazon.
“I ordered a pair of blue-like low-ankle Uggs. And I never received them. So I had to call customer service. They told me, ‘Okay, well, wait another day. See if they’ll show up.’ I waited another day and never showed up,” Williams said.
She said she took the loss and wasn’t refunded for her purchase — but she did learn from that experience.
“But as far as payment wise, I will use like a non-bank card…like a prepaid card. That’s what we use instead of your actual bank card. Because if you do get scammed, it’s a prepaid card, not your actual bank card,” she said.
The Better Business Bureau said if a customer uses a card, “Please use a secure form of payment, like a credit card, so that in the event that you do have to return or dispute a charge, you’re able to do so so your money is secured,” said Whitney Adkins, the BBB Director of Communications and Outreach.
Adkins encouraged consumers to do their research first before buying anything, especially on a third-party site like Amazon, which has thousands of independent vendors.
“Better to pause and look at those companies first, than wasting money on something that you don’t really want, or that’s not worthwhile. So it’s as simple as you can visit our website, Better Business Bureau’s website at bbb.org, [and] type in that company name,” Adkins said.
This Prime Day, Williams is happy her experience wasn’t worse.
“I mean, consider the fact that my favorite color is blue. And they were blue. I was upset. But eventually, I just let it go,” she said.
The Better Business Bureau offers a scam tracker system online. If a deal is too good to be true, verify that the company is legitimate by going to that online resource.