7 Ways to Spot Fake Amazon Products

May 10, 2023 · Personal Finance

7. The Third-Party Retailer Asks You to Contact Them Before Completing Your Payment

Instead of allowing you to complete your payment on Amazon’s website for the product you’re about to buy, the third-party seller will ask you to text them. Upon texting, you’ll receive emails or texts that ask you to buy an Amazon gift card for the exact amount of your purchase.

Then, you’ll likely be asked to send the seller the card number, but once the seller gets the Amazon gift card number, you’ll definitely never hear from them again.

Illustration of two price tags, with a red tag prominently displaying a suspicious $20 price point. — Compare a simple white tag with a splattered red twenty dollar price to spot suspicious Amazon listings.

How to Avoid

Do not order any Amazon products from sellers who ask you to text or otherwise contact them. Moreover, never buy Amazon gift cards to pay for things at a seller’s urging.

You may also want to read Amazon Shopping: Stop Buying These 4 Products.