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Prime Day Shopping: How to Get The Deals Without Getting Scammed

Online scammers are looking to take advantage of eager shoppers, but keeping a close eye on details can help prevent you from falling victim.

Amazon’s Prime Day sale is officially here, but shoppers looking for great deals need to be careful that they don’t get scammed in the process. 

Amazon is warning consumers to be on the lookout for cybercriminals attempting to use the massive online event, which runs Tuesday through Friday, as an opportunity to con them out of their money and personal information.

According to Amazon, reports of email impersonation scams, where cybercriminals tried to pass themselves off as Amazon or another related company, jumped 50% during Prime Day in 2024, compared with the weeks before the sale. 

Meanwhile, researchers for the cybersecurity company Check Point say that during the month of June, they spotted more than 1,000 new websites with domain names similar to Amazon. About 87% of those were flagged as malicious or suspicious, meaning they could be trying to impersonate Amazon in attempts to steal shopper account credentials or payment information.

Separate research done by McAfee found more than 36,000 fake Amazon sites and over 75,000 delivery and Amazon impersonation scam texts leading up to this week’s Prime Day. That cybersecurity company also did an online  survey of more than 5,000 people around the world focused on shopping habits. Of the Americans polled, 15% said they’ve been scammed during Prime Day or a similar shopping event and 84% of those people reported losing money as a result.

While cybercriminals have long tried to take advantage of Prime Day shoppers, the big spike in potentially scammy websites ahead of this year’s event marks a shift in their game plan, says Dave Meister, cybersecurity evangelist for Check Point.

«That’s been really interesting to see,» Meister said. «The malicious actors aren’t just being opportunistic here, they’re preparing for what they know is coming.» 

AI gives old scams new power

The carrots cybercriminals use in their scam emails, texts, and social media posts have remained largely the same in recent years. 

According to Amazon, they often tell a target that there was a problem with their account or an order, or ask for alternate payment information, falsely claiming that their payment didn’t go through. Regardless of their specific pitch, the objective of the scams is to steal payment card information or Amazon account usernames and passwords. 

What has changed is the sophistication and scale of those scam messages, partially due to artificial intelligence tools. Just a few years ago, Check Point researchers would spot just a few hundred scam websites tied to Prime Day, a far cry from this year’s more than 1,000, Meister said. It also wasn’t that long ago that phishing emails were generic and riddled with grammatical errors, making them easy to spot. 

But AI-powered tools now let cybercriminals quickly create fake websites that convincingly impersonate companies like Amazon, he said. They also allow for the creation of countless phishing messages written in perfect English that target specific people, harvesting personal details about them from sources like social media to make them appear legitimate. 

«The tactics haven’t necessarily changed, AI has just lowered the barrier for anybody to step in,» he said. 

Why Amazon and Prime Day?

Security experts say Amazon’s widespread popularity makes it a top choice for scammers. If a consumer gets an email that looks like it’s coming from a bank they don’t have an account with, they’re probably going to delete it right away. But just about everybody has an Amazon account, making scam emails featuring Amazon significantly more convincing.

Outside of the holiday shopping season, Amazon’s Prime Day events are some of its biggest sales days of the year, and cybercriminals will be looking to capitalize on that. That means shoppers will need to be especially on guard as they look for deals. 

And many Prime Day offers feature big price cuts and disappear fast, making it more likely that shoppers will click before they think. But slowing down is exactly what they need to do.

«I think the most important thing is to be skeptical right out of the gate,» Meister said.

Tips for safe Prime Day shopping 

Here are a handful of tips from Amazon and Check Point for how to stay safe while shopping for Prime Day deals.

Double-check domain names. If a site’s address doesn’t start with «Amazon.com,» it could be a fake. The same goes for other online retailers. Look for misspellings, additional punctuation and anything else that might seem a little off in the address.

For Amazon purchases, stick to the company’s website, app and stores. Amazon will never ask for payment over the phone, by text or by email. It also won’t ask you to make them by bank transfer or through a third-party site.

Go straight to retailer websites. You’re better off typing in the URL directly than clicking on a link that might be shady. If a message says you ordered something that you think you didn’t, skip the link and just check «My Orders» in your Amazon account to see if that’s true.

Use a good password and 2FA. Hard-to-crack passwords are a must for all retail sites. That means they need to be long, unique and random. Don’t be tempted to recycle even a great password if you’ve used it for another account. And whenever possible, enable two-factor authentication. Adding this extra form of authentication could save your bacon if your password does end up compromised.

Treat urgency with suspicion. Yes, a lot of Prime Day deals are limited-time, but any offer that says you need to buy right away needs a closer look. Cybercriminals are banking on you clicking before you think.

Look for the lock. By now, any legitimate retail site uses SSL encryption, which is signified by a lock symbol at the start of the URL. If it’s missing, shop elsewhere.

Report scam messages. Most email programs have buttons that let you report spam or phishing. Forward scam text messages to 7726 (SPAM). Prime Day scams should be reported to Amazon through their app or website.

If it’s too good to be true… Yes, we’ve heard this so many times it’s officially a cliche, but any mind-blowingly amazing deal should be treated like a scam, because it probably is. If you can’t verify it on the company’s site, steer clear.

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You’ll Soon Be Able to Buy Walmart Products Through ChatGPT

OpenAI’s chatbot already connects to Etsy and Shopify. Now you can buy bananas too.

OpenAI and Walmart will soon offer shopping via AI through ChatGPT, the retail giant said in a press release on Tuesday.

While using ChatGPT’s Instant Checkout feature, customers can buy groceries, electronics or other essentials within the chatbot interface. 

Walmart has its own AI assistant in its app named Sparky. With Sparky, customers can ask questions about products and get summaries of reviews to find the best item. 

Don’t miss any of our unbiased tech content and lab-based reviews. Add CNET as a preferred Google source.

«For many years now, e-commerce shopping experiences have consisted of a search bar and a long list of item responses. That is about to change,» Walmart CEO Doug McMillon said in a statement. «There is a native AI experience coming that is multi-media, personalized and contextual. We are running towards that more enjoyable and convenient future with Sparky and through partnerships including this important step with OpenAI.»

When asked for comment, Walmart referred to its press release. Walmart also said it wouldn’t discuss the financial terms of the agreement at this time.

«We’re excited to partner with Walmart to make everyday purchases a little simpler. It’s just one way AI will help people every day under our work together,» OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said in a press release.

OpenAI referred to Walmart’s press release when asked for comment. 

The latest deal with Walmart comes as OpenAI tries to make ChatGPT an all-in-one shopping experience. AI chatbots are increasingly being used as vehicles for online shopping. They can synthesize reviews from across the internet and give people direct answers to shopping questions. Already, ChatGPT connects with Etsy and Shopify with its Instant Checkout feature, allowing people to buy directly. OpenAI also added more shopping features in ChatGPT Search earlier this year. 

(Disclosure: Ziff Davis, CNET’s parent company, in April filed a lawsuit against OpenAI, alleging it infringed Ziff Davis copyrights in training and operating its AI systems.)  

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Technologies

OpenAI Will Loosen ChatGPT’s Mental Health Guardrails and Allow Erotica for Adult Users

Sam Altman said the company will ease limits for adults after rolling out age verification.

ChatGPT is treading cautiously right now, but the chatbot may become more risqué by the end of the year.

In recent weeks, the generative AI chatbot has been operating under somewhat stringent limitations, as OpenAI tried to address concerns that it was not handling sensitive mental health issues well. But CEO Sam Altman said in a post on X Tuesday that the company would ease some of those restrictions because it’s «been able to mitigate the serious mental health issues.»

Though Altman didn’t elaborate on what tools are being used to address the problem, OpenAI recently announced new parental controls in ChatGPT. 

CNET reached out to OpenAI for details, but the company did not immediately respond to a request for comment. (Disclosure: Ziff Davis, CNET’s parent company, in April filed a lawsuit against OpenAI, alleging it infringed Ziff Davis copyrights in training and operating its AI systems.)

Other changes are also expected. Altman said the company could allow «erotica» for verified adult users as it implements an «age-gating» system, or age-restricted content, in December. The mature content is part of the company’s «treat adult users like adults» principle, Altman said. 

Altman’s post also announced a new version of ChatGPT in the next few weeks, with a personality that behaves more like the company’s GPT-4o model. Chatbot users had complained after the company replaced 4o with the impersonal GPT-5 earlier this year, saying the new version lacked the engaging and fun personality of previous chatbot models. 

«If you want your ChatGPT to respond in a very human-like way, or use a ton of emoji, or act like a friend, ChatGPT should do it (but only if you want it, not because we are usage-maxxing),» Altman wrote.

Don’t miss any of our unbiased tech content and lab-based reviews. Add CNET as a preferred Google source.

After OpenAI was sued by parents who alleged ChatGPT contributed to their teen son’s suicide, the company imposed an array of new restrictions and changes, including parental controls, alerts for risky behavior and a teen-friendly version of the chatbot. In the summer, OpenAI implemented break reminders that encourage people to occasionally stop chatting with the bot. 

On Tuesday, the company also announced the creation of a council of experts on AI and well-being, including some with expertise in psychology and human behavior. 

This comes as lawmakers and regulators are ringing the alarm on the risks AI tools pose to people, especially children. On Monday, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed new restrictions on AI companion chatbots into law. Last month, the Federal Trade Commission launched an investigation into several AI companies, including OpenAI. 

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Technologies

Today’s NYT Strands Hints, Answers and Help for Oct. 15 #591

Here are hints — and the answers — for the NYT Strands puzzle for Oct. 15, No. 591.

Looking for the most recent Strands answer? Click here for our daily Strands hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle, Connections and Connections: Sports Edition puzzles.

Today’s NYT Strands puzzle is a fun one, once you understand the theme. Some of the answers are a bit tough to unscramble, so if you need hints and answers, read on.

I go into depth about the rules for Strands in this story. 

If you’re looking for today’s Wordle, Connections and Mini Crossword answers, you can visit CNET’s NYT puzzle hints page.

Read more: NYT Connections Turns 1: These Are the 5 Toughest Puzzles So Far

Hint for today’s Strands puzzle

Today’s Strands theme is: Going up?

If that doesn’t help you, here’s a clue: Not an escalator, but…

Clue words to unlock in-game hints

Your goal is to find hidden words that fit the puzzle’s theme. If you’re stuck, find any words you can. Every time you find three words of four letters or more, Strands will reveal one of the theme words. These are the words I used to get those hints but any words of four or more letters that you find will work:

  • ROTATE, LOBE, NOPE, RATS, STAR, SAME, LOSE, VOTE, BUTTE, SAMS, BAMS

Answers for today’s Strands puzzle

These are the answers that tie into the theme. The goal of the puzzle is to find them all, including the spangram, a theme word that reaches from one side of the puzzle to the other. When you have all of them (I originally thought there were always eight but learned that the number can vary), every letter on the board will be used. Here are the nonspangram answers:

  • ALARM, OPEN, CLOSE, LOBBY, GROUND, BASEMENT

Today’s Strands spangram

Today’s Strands spangram is ELEVATORBUTTONS. To find it, look for the E that’s three letters to the right on the bottom row, and wind straight up, and then straight down.

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