YORK, Pa. — Amazon Prime Day brings in hundreds of thousands of consumers each year for the company's birthday.
Along with online shoppers, scammers and fraudsters also look forward to the big shopping day. FOX43 spoke with the president of the CyberSecurity Association of Pennsylvania for tips on how to avoid getting scammed.
There are safeguards shoppers should keep in mind when it comes to purchasing items online. Scammers are able to reach consumers on different platforms, including but not limited to: email, text, social media and phone calls.
“What the scammers are looking to do is that they’re looking to emotionally connect you to that email to get you to click the link,” said Scott Davis, president of the CyberSecurity Association of Pennsylvania.
According to the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation and Davis, it all starts with cybersecurity. The best ways to avoid scammers are:
- Do not open emails from people you don’t know.
- Be careful with links and new website addresses.
- Secure your personal information.
- Stay informed on the latest cyber threats.
- Use strong passwords.
- Keep your software up to date and maintain preventative software programs.
- Update the operating systems on your electronic devices.
“When you click that link, it’s because you know emotionally you have to react quickly, you have to move, and you have to trust it,” said Davis. "And if it matches the letterhead, if it matches the template of an Amazon email, the safeguards we’ve been taught year after year fall to the wayside."