5 Nasty Scams Targeting Idaho Amazon Shoppers During Prime Day

Amazon Prime Day is finally here! While you’re excited to save on whatever you’re shopping for: electronics, cosmetics, household goods… scammers are hoping to take advantage of the two day shopping “holiday” and score your sensitive information.

One of the most common ways scammers get information like passwords, credit card numbers and bank account information from unsuspecting Idahoans is by impersonating a trusted business, like Amazon.

In fact, the Federal Trade Commission recently revealed that Amazon was the second most impersonated brand in America last year. Their stats show that they received 34,000 Amazon scam reports and that people who fell for them lost a total of $19 million.  

READ MORE: 6 Of the Most Common Scams Affecting Idahoans

Over the years, we’ve discussed “phishing” scams at great length. According to Norton, one of the most trusted cyber security brands in America, many Amazon scams involve this tactic. Norton, a highly respected cyber security company, defines “phishing” as:

...a cyberthreat in which scammers try to lure sensitive information or data from you by disguising themselves as a trustworthy source. They do this using a variety of communication methods, including email, Google Chat, text messages, phone calls and more. 

Sometimes scams delivered by text messages are sometimes called “smishing” scams since they’re delivered by SMS. Similar scams that come via phone calls are “vishing,” since they’re delivered by voice. 

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Idahoans are targets for several Amazon phishing scams AND some other Amazon related scams you may not be familiar with. According to Norton and VPN provider, NordVPN,  these are some of the most common scams associated with the Amazon brand.