With Amazon Prime Day just around the corner, the Better Business Bureau is reminding shoppers to be on the lookout for online scams.
The eagerly anticipated sales event, taking place July 11 to 12 this year, has been gaining popularity in Canada, with the surge in shoppers even causing brief online outages for the platform during past events.
“There is a chance to nab a great deal, as long as you’re not falling for big box impersonators, which include fake websites, misleading emails, and fraudulent texts claiming to be from the popular online retailer,” explained Aaron Guillen, BBB Mainland BC and Yukon spokesperson.
“Canadians are losing a median dollar amount of $102 to online purchase scams, according to our latest data. Nearly a third (29.5 per cent) of all reported scams on BBB Scam Tracker in 2022 were about online purchase scams. We don’t want that number to rise higher in the future.”
BBB offered five tips to help consumers be more online savvy ahead of Prime Day.
1. Verify customer reviews –if a product rating seems too good to be true, then it just might be. Scammers frequently post positive reviews on their pages (either copied from legitimate sites or ones created by bots) and are present on all platforms, including Amazon. Check a trusted source for reviews, such as BBB.org, where reviews are vetted.
2. Use traceable payment methods such as credit cards. Most financial institutions offer fraud protection on credit cards, which means you are more likely to be reimbursed if you do fall victim to a scam. BBB recommended limiting the use of debit cards and e-transfers for online purchases and noted if a seller is trying to direct you to buy from them instead of a trusted website, it’s likely a scam.
3. Avoid making quick purchases while browsing social media – scammers advertise great deals or hard-to-find products on all platforms. These can be tempting and with autofill options online, it can be a very quick sale. BBB advised “taking five” – whether that’s five minutes, five hours or five days to consider the purchase. “Buyer’s remorse is a real problem that can play a factor in purchasing anything from a small keychain to a luxury watch.”
4. Understand online retail return policies and warranties. Find out if the seller accepts returns or exchanges and who pays for the shipping when an item is returned. Amazon, for example, does not cover the return shipping costs for all of the products sold on the platform, it depends on who the seller is. Most electronics also come with warranties that are fulfilled by the manufacturer, not the retailer, and some are void if they cross borders.
5. Set a reasonable budget. Make a list, check it twice, and decide ahead of time what you want to buy and how much money you are willing to spend. BBB recommended the 50-30-20 rule, which is putting 50 per cent of your money toward needs, 30 per cent to wants and 20 per cent to savings. Keeping those need and want lists separate can help limit overspending.
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