The online retail giant Amazon is holding its “Prime Days” sales event this week, and Iowans are being warned to watch out for related scams.
Jim Temmer, with the Better Business Bureau, says crooks have cooked up websites that mimic large retailers to try and fool you with phony links.
Temmer says, “A lot of them are scams, and they take legitimate websites, photos, and descriptions, and they plug them in on their own.” You might get a text or email claiming you have a free gift waiting for Prime Days, which runs tomorrow ) and Wednesday.
Temmer says do some basic research on the website before you put down your money for that “amazing deal.” “Is there a return policy? Is there a customer service number you can call and talk to a live person? Do they have an address,” Temmer says. “If they do, pump it into Google Maps or something like that. It might be a vacant field.”
Temmer says you should always be using a credit card to make online purchases and don’t let yourself get bullied into other payment methods.
“The protections built into a credit card aren’t always offered by debit cards,” he says, “and of course not with a check or money order or Green Dot card or gift cards or any of that other stuff.”
Temmer says if you see a deal on premium merchandise that seems too good to be true, it’s likely a scam. He says to be sure to check the fine print to see what you’re actually purchasing and be ready to get a return or a refund.