How to Shop Safely During Amazon Prime Day

McAfee

Jun 10, 2026

5 MIN READ

Amazon Prime Day is one of the biggest online shopping events of the year, and scammers know it.

Every year, cybercriminals take advantage of the rush to find deals by creating fake Amazon websites, sending delivery scam texts, impersonating customer support agents, and using AI-generated content to make scams look more convincing than ever.

New McAfee research suggests shoppers may be especially vulnerable this year. A whopping 40% of consumers say they would trust a lower-priced deal without verifying it first, while 29% admit they would skip researching a seller if the price looked good enough.

That combination of urgency, discounts, and increasingly sophisticated scams creates the perfect environment for fraud.

“Anyone who has ever fallen for a scam thought they would recognize one first,” McAfee’s Head of Threat Research Abhishek Karnik reminds shoppers.

“That confidence is part of what scammers count on,” he says. “Tools like McAfee exist precisely for those moments, flagging suspicious links, messages, and offers before a split-second decision becomes a costly one.”

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Here are the most common Amazon Prime Day scams to watch for in 2026 and the warning signs that can help you avoid them.

Scam Type	How It Works	Red Flags
Fake shopping websites	Fraudulent websites mimic real retailers and disappear after collecting payments	Prices far below competitors, little company information, newly created websites
Fake social media ads	Ads promote products that never arrive or are counterfeit	Too-good-to-be-true discounts, limited reviews, unfamiliar brands
Delivery notification scams	Fake package alerts claim there is an issue with your shipment	Unexpected texts, suspicious links, requests for payment
Retailer impersonation scams	Messages claim there is a problem with your account or order	Urgent language, login requests, unfamiliar sender addresses
QR code scams	QR codes redirect shoppers to fraudulent websites	Codes placed on flyers, posters, packages, or public locations
Brushing scams	Unsolicited packages arrive at your home	Items you never ordered, requests to scan codes or leave reviews
Fake recall scams	Messages claim a recent purchase has been recalled	Requests for payment, account credentials, or personal information

Here are examples of Amazon-relategd scam texts our team came across near Prime day last year:

Figure 1. Examples of Amazon tariff and job scams

Figure 2. An example of a fake Amazon sign-in page.

Figure 3. Examples of Amazon phishing scams

Why Prime Day Scams Work

Major shopping events create the exact conditions scammers rely on: urgency, distraction, and the promise of savings.

McAfee research found:

82% of consumers prioritize finding the cheapest deal when shopping online
55% spend more time hunting for discounts
40% would trust a lower-priced deal without verifying it
29% would skip researching a seller if the deal looked especially good
23% feel pressure to act quickly before a deal disappears

“What the data reflects is that economic pressure has effectively done some of the scammer’s work for them,” says Abhishek Karnik, Head of Threat Research at McAfee. “When consumers are already primed to move quickly and prioritize price over authenticity, it takes far less effort to push them toward a bad click or a fraudulent purchase.”

How to Protect Yourself This Prime Day

The good news? These scams are preventable if you know what to watch for and take the right precautions. Here’s your defense playbook:

Verify Before You Trust

Amazon will never call you about suspicious account activity or unauthorized purchases
Always log into your Amazon account directly through amazon.com to check for real issues
Use Amazon’s Message Center – all legitimate communications from Amazon appear there
Never give personal information, passwords, or payment details over the phone

Watch for Red Flags

Urgent language demanding immediate action (“Your account will be closed in 24 hours!”)
Requests for payment via gift cards, wire transfers, or cash
Claims that you need to “verify” or “legalize” your money
Transfers to “government agencies” during the same call
Pressure to keep the call secret or not hang up

How to Protect Your Shopping Experience

Enable two-factor authentication on your Amazon account
Use strong, unique passwords or passkeys for your shopping accounts, McAfee offers password manager for this reason
Only shop on secure websites (look for “https://” and the padlock icon)
Monitor your bank and credit card statements regularly
Never click links in suspicious emails – go directly to the retailer’s website instead.
Use reputable online protection, such as McAfee Premium Plus to keep you safer from online shopping scams
Trust your gut – if it feels too urgent or too good to be true, it probably is