How to Avoid Amazon Scams

Amazon is the most well-known global ecommerce platform. Operating since 1994, it started as an online bookstore but now you can find pretty much any product on the site. Thanks to its convenience, quality assurance and customer-protection policies, 89% of buyers are more likely to buy products from Amazon than other ecommerce sites. All things considered, it is among the safest platforms for online shopping. 

Sadly, not even Amazon is safe from scammers. Despite the platform’s strict seller verification processes, scammers do slip through the cracks and it can be a while before they are caught. Before being booted off Amazon, a scammer can end up trapping several victims and steal their money. 

Amazon scams can occur from both sides. It is not always the seller who scams the buyer as there are many unscrupulous people who place orders with the intention of defrauding the seller or even Amazon itself. Fake job offers from people posing as Amazon executives are also common. In this article, we will only be looking at scams that affect buyers on Amazon. 

Types of Amazon Scams

• Fake products: Counterfeits and bait-and-switch are scams that you need to watch out for. Sellers might list products as genuine using images and descriptions of the real product but deliver fakes instead. Many buyers may not even realize that they have been sent counterfeit products. In other cases, the product may be completely different compared to the listed item. In 2020 alone, Amazon blocked 10 billion listings of counterfeit products.
  
  
• Fake reviews: Fake reviews are a shockingly common problem on Amazon, with as many as 67% of reviews in certain categories being flagged as ‘questionable’. A recent data leak also revealed a large-scale fake review scam involving 200,000 individuals.
  
  This doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t trust reviews at all, rather you should not trust them blindly. Many sellers also offer free products or gift cards in exchange for positive reviews.

• Payment Scams: Some Amazon sellers may contact you off the platform and offer a discount if you agree to make a purchase outside the platform. This can be extremely risky as Amazon’s customer satisfaction guarantees no longer apply once you take the transaction off Amazon. If the seller sends a damaged or fake product, or doesn’t send anything at all, it will be very hard to get your money back. 
  
  
• Fake Customer Support Scams: There are scammers posing as customer support representatives from Amazon who call buyers regarding fake problems with their account or order. In many cases, they somehow obtain information that you would assume that only Amazon would have. They may ask for sensitive information such as person or payment details over the phone, which they will then use for identity theft or unauthorized transactions.
  
  
• Phishing Scams: There are also several variations of emails and messages that attempt to mimic those sent by Amazon. These contain fake links that lead to login or payment pages that look exactly like Amazon, but send the information to scammers. Variations include messages about free gifts, failed delivery, returns or replacements, renewal or cancellation of Prime subscriptions and more.

How to Avoid Amazon Scams

• Compare prices with other sellers: Try to find multiple sellers who are offering the same product. The prices should be roughly the same across the board. If one seller’s price is considerably lower than others, say more than 20%, there’s a fair chance that they may be selling fakes. If there is only one seller for the item on Amazon, compare the price on other platforms. You can also install an extension such as Fakespot for easy comparison.
  
  
• Read the reviews: Looking at the ratings of a product alone can prove to be an easy way for getting scammed. Delving a bit deeper into the reviews might reveal hints that they are not genuine. Read our article about recognizing fake reviews to know the signs to watch out for.
  
  
• Don’t share account or payment details over the phone: There is no problem that can only be solved over the phone. If you receive a call about a problem with an order or your Amazon account, never share sensitive details with the person at the other end of the line no matter how convincing they sound. You can get off the call and log in to Amazon directly to check if there really is an issue.
  
  
• Don’t click on links in emails and messages: Clicking on links can be dangerous too because they can lead to pages that are exactly identical to Amazon’s website but are operated by scammers. To be sure about your account status or activity, visit Amazon directly through the app or by typing in the URL in your browser. Here are some useful tips by Amazon themselves about identifying potentially malicious communications.

What to Do If You Get Caught in an Amazon Scam

Maybe you reached this page a little too late and have already fallen victim to an Amazon scam. Follow the steps mentioned by Amazon for a resolution:

• Report a Security Issue
• Report Suspicious Emails, Phone Calls, Text Messages, or Webpages
• Report Unsolicited Package or Brushing Scams

If you have any feedback regarding the article or would like to report issues such as broken links, please feel free to contact us.