Amazon Prime Day Scam Surge Uses 120,000 Phishing Sites

Amazon and security experts are warning shoppers of a surge in sophisticated scams ahead of Prime Day (July 8-11), with fraudsters leveraging 120,000 newly created phishing websites, fake emails, texts, and phone calls to steal personal and financial information. These scams often impersonate Amazon, creating urgency with claims about Prime renewals or order issues, and direct users to malicious links or fake login pages. AI-driven phishing tactics are making fraudulent messages more convincing and harder to spot, especially as consumers look for deals during the cost-of-living crisis. Amazon advises customers to check that emails end with @amazon.com, avoid clicking suspicious links, and never provide payment information or remote device access in response to unsolicited requests. Suspicious incidents should be reported at amazon.com/reportascam, and users are urged to monitor accounts for unusual charges. The US Federal Trade Commission reports a sharp rise in overall fraud losses, underscoring the need for increased vigilance during major online shopping events.