July 12 and 13 of this year will bring the annual summer shopping event know as Prime Day. It could just as easy be called Walmart Day or Target Day or Kohl’s Day, since these retailers and others have now joined the effort with their own online sales. But bargain hunters should beware: Scammers will be trying their best to ensnare you with their trickery, according to the Better Business Bureau. 

Here is is the BBB’s guide to staying safe from online thieves as you search for this year’s best Prime Day buys:

What to watch for

A recent report from the Federal Trade Commission warned that Amazon is far and away the most impersonated business by online scammers. Those scam attempts are bound to increase significantly during Prime Day and the days thereafter.

Emails, texts, or calls may come your way that claim to be from the giant online retailer. Using logos and images stolen off legitimate websites, they can trick you into thinking they are from Amazon. Watch out. Their goal is to get you to click on a link that enables them to steal your credit card information, your account login details, or even gain remote access to your digital device to steal more of your personal information. Here are some of the most popular notifications and messages scammers may send you:

• “You still have Amazon Bonus credit.” The scammer will urge you to make purchases before a fake expiration date.

• “Confirm details for shipment.” Thieves will try to get you to click a link to take care of this “problem.”

• Messages about your Amazon Prime membership may say things such as: “You won’t be able to watch Amazon Prime shows until this payment issue is fixed.” Some messages may claim “Your Amazon Prime subscription is having billing issues.” You are then asked to update your billing information (thereby giving it all to the scammer).

• “Package delivery notification.” Claiming a package has been delivered, you are told you can get more information by clicking a link.

Sometimes the link you click on in the message will take you to a fake survey that promises you a gift if you answer the questions. This is, of course, just another phishing attempt to reel in your private information.

BBB urges you to keep these in mind:

• Fake websites are easy to make look real. Check the URL to be sure it comes from Amazon. Watch for bad grammar, especially misspellings and strange use of capitalization.

• Don’t believe it’s real just because of the images and logos.

• Be sure it’s a secure website that contains “HTTPS” in the URL. The “s” is important as it stands for “secure.” Without that “s,” you should close the window and ignore the site.

• Highly sought-after products can lead you to a scam. If it’s sold out everywhere else and seems available on some site at a strangely low price, beware of a scam. What looks too good to be true usually is.

• Always pay with a credit card. It will make later disputes much easier to resolve. Never pay when asked to use only digital wallet apps, prepaid money cards, or any other non-traditional method.

For answers to any other questions or concerns about Prime Days shopping issues, contact BBB at 800-856-2417 or visit their website at BBB.org.