Cyber Monday has been hit by scammers creating fake deals with Amazon among the most impacted brands.

The Better Business Bureau warns that scams are showing up through text messages that are disguised as surveys, which are directing recipients to a fake site that will ask for personal information such as a full name, address, email and more in order to receive a coupon, free gift or discount.

The messages will usually claim to be a limited-time offer to encourage people to not fully think about it being a scam, and be focused more on receiving the reward quickly.

In 2020, Amazon had 771 reported scams, which came next in line to the Social Security Administration which is the organization most used to be disguised as a scam with 1,467 reported scams, according to the BBB.

The BBB ranks “online purchases” as the most at-risk place to be scammed. It has also been found for the first time that adults ages 18 to24 are experiencing the greatest amount of scams at a price of about $150 a person.

Some tips from the BBB to keep in mind to avoid getting caught up in scams include:

  1. Unsolicited text messages are usually not from trustworthy sources. Reputable businesses will get your permission to send you a text before sending anything to your inbox. Fake texts often contain suspicious-looking links and contain typos and other errors, too.
  2. Watch out for rewards that sound too good to be true. If someone offers you a valuable product or gift card in exchange for completing a two-minute survey, it’s probably a scam.
  3. Limited-time offers could be a red flag. Scammers often use a sense of urgency to get their victims to hand over valuable information without thinking.
  4. Remember that scammers conceal their identity. Many scam surveys are very vague about their purpose and who is running them. If you can’t figure out who or where the survey is coming from, don’t take it.
  5. Do some research. If you aren’t sure about a survey, do an internet search to find out more information. Look for links to the survey on a business’ official website.
RELATED STORIES