Amazon Scam Texts After Prime Big Deal Days: Fake Orders, Refunds, Deliveries and Recalls

An Amazon scam text is a message that pretends to come from Amazon, usually claiming there’s a problem with your order, a refund waiting, a missed delivery or a product recall, and pushes you to tap a link or call a number. After this week’s Prime Big Deal Days, these texts are worth expecting: Amazon’s own trust team says scam messages tend to spike in the days after a Prime event, when millions of people are waiting on real orders. The safe rule is simple: don’t tap the link, open the Amazon app yourself and check Your Orders.

This guide shows the four most common Amazon text scams, a red-flags table you can use on any message, how to verify an order or recall safely, how to report scam texts, and what to check if you bought a phone from a third-party seller during the sale.

Why scam texts spike after Prime Big Deal Days

Scammers time their messages around big sales because the timing makes them believable. If you’ve just bought five things, a text about “your order” doesn’t seem strange. Delivery updates, refunds and returns are all normal after a sale, so a fake one blends in.

Amazon’s trust and safety team has said scam texts tend to increase in the days after a Prime event. Coverage of this year’s sale gives slightly different dates, so we’ll simply call it this week’s Prime Big Deal Days. Expect the scam wave to last at least as long as your deliveries do.

Texts aren’t the only risk. According to the FTC, social media was the costliest way scammers first contacted people in 2025, with reported losses of $2.1 billion. Fake “deal” ads and pages that copy Amazon’s look are common during and after sales, so the same caution applies to ads in your feed.

The 4 Amazon scam texts you’re most likely to get

1. “There’s a problem with your order”

“Amazon: Your order #[number] has been suspended due to a payment issue. Update your billing details within 24 hours to avoid cancellation: [link]”

The link leads to a copy of the Amazon sign-in page. Anything you type, including your password, card details and the one-time code Amazon sends you, goes to the scammer, who can then take over your real account.

2. Fake refunds

“You are eligible for a refund of $49.99 for a delayed item. Claim now: [link]” or “Call us to process your refund.”

A refund text is especially tempting after a sale. Some versions lead to a phishing page; others give you a phone number where a fake “agent” asks you to install a remote-access app or “accidentally” over-refunds you and asks for the difference back by gift card.

3. Fake package delivery

“Your Amazon package could not be delivered. Confirm your address and pay a $1.99 redelivery fee: [link]”

Amazon doesn’t charge redelivery fees by text. The small amount is bait for your card number. The same trick is used with USPS, UPS and FedEx branding; see our toll and USPS text scam guide for how these smishing kits work.

4. Fake product recalls

“URGENT: An item you purchased has been recalled for a fire risk. Click to claim your refund: [link]”

Recall scams work because real recalls exist and can be serious. According to AARP, fake recall messages most often impersonate Amazon, followed by Walmart, Costco and Best Buy. They usually ask for card details to “send your refund” or for personal details to “register” the claim.

Is this Amazon text real? Red flags table

How to verify an Amazon order safely

Every genuine order issue is visible in your account. Check there, not in the text.

1. Open the Amazon app (or type amazon.com into your browser yourself).
2. Go to Your Orders and look for the order or item the text mentions. If it isn’t there, the text is fake.
3. Check the order’s tracking page for delivery status. Real delivery problems appear here.
4. Check Your Account › Message Center (sometimes listed as Messages). Amazon’s own messages about orders appear here; if the message you received isn’t in it, treat it with suspicion.
5. For refunds, check Returns and refunds on the order itself.
6. If you still need help, use Customer Service from inside the app rather than any number in the text.

How to check whether a recall is real

Real US product recalls are published by the Consumer Product Safety Commission. If you receive a recall text, search for the product at cpsc.gov/recalls. The listing tells you exactly what’s affected, the hazard, and how to get a remedy, usually directly from the manufacturer.

Here’s a real example of what a genuine recall looks like. According to the CPSC, Casely re-announced its recall of about 429,200 Casely wireless portable power banks (model E33A) on 16 April 2026, after 28 more reports including one fatality following the original 2025 recall. The listing explains the fire and burn hazard and how to get a remedy. A scam text might name a product like this to look credible; the difference is that the CPSC listing sends you to the manufacturer’s official recall page, not to a random link asking for your card.

How to report Amazon scam texts

• Forward to 7726 (SPAM). All major US carriers accept this. On iPhone, press and hold the message, tap More, then the forward arrow. On Android, long-press and choose Forward or Share.
• Report to Amazon at amazon.com/reportascam. Amazon uses these reports to take down scam sites and phone numbers.
• Report to the FTC at reportfraud.ftc.gov, especially if you lost money or shared details.
• Use your app’s report button: Report Junk in Apple Messages, or Block › Report spam in Google Messages.
• Then delete the message. Don’t reply, not even “STOP”.

What to do if you already tapped the link

You only opened the page

Close it, don’t enter anything, and don’t install anything it offers. Update your phone and browser. On an up-to-date phone, simply viewing a phishing page is very unlikely to infect it.

You entered your Amazon password or code

1. Change your Amazon password immediately from the app or by typing amazon.com yourself.
2. Turn on two-step verification in Your Account › Login & security.
3. Check Your Orders, saved addresses and saved payment methods for anything you didn’t add.
4. If you use the same password elsewhere, change it there too.

You entered card details or paid

1. Call your card issuer using the number on the back of your card, cancel the card and dispute charges.
2. Ask whether your card was added to a digital wallet on a device you don’t own, and have it removed.
3. Report it to reportfraud.ftc.gov and amazon.com/reportascam.

You called a fake support number

If the “agent” had you install a screen-sharing or remote-access app, uninstall it, change your banking and Amazon passwords from another device, and call your bank. Our guide on how to tell if your phone is hacked covers the next steps.

Bought a phone from a third-party seller in the sale? Check it now

Phones were among the headline Prime Big Deal Days discounts. TechRadar’s US live coverage listed deals such as the Galaxy S26 Ultra at $979.99 (from $1,399.99) and the Pixel 11 Pro at $849 (from $1,099.99). Many of these were sold by Amazon itself, but a big sale also brings lots of listings from third-party sellers and marketplace sellers, including renewed and used phones.

A phone from a third-party seller is usually fine, but it’s worth confirming it’s exactly what was promised while you’re still inside the return window:

1. Find the IMEI. Dial *#06# or check Settings › General › About (iPhone) or Settings › About phone (Android). Make sure it matches the box. Our guide on how to find your IMEI number covers every method.
2. Check the blacklist. A GSMA blacklist check shows whether the IMEI has been reported lost or stolen. A blacklisted phone may not work on any network.
3. Check the carrier and SIM lock. Listings sometimes say “unlocked” when the phone is tied to one carrier. A carrier and SIM-lock check confirms which network it’s locked to, if any.
4. Check the basics. An All-in-one basic info check confirms the model and, for iPhones, the Find My status, so you know it isn’t still linked to a previous owner’s account.
5. Look for Activation Lock or FRP. If the phone asks for someone else’s Apple Account or Google account during setup, don’t try to get around it; return it.

If something doesn’t match, contact the seller through Your Orders and start a return. Amazon’s A-to-z Guarantee covers many third-party purchases when an item isn’t as described. Our guide to buying a phone on a marketplace safely has more red flags to watch for.

The bottom line

An Amazon scam text after Prime Big Deal Days will look like a normal order update, refund, delivery notice or recall. Don’t trust the link or the number in the message. Open the Amazon app, check Your Orders and Message Center, confirm recalls at cpsc.gov/recalls, and report fakes to 7726 and amazon.com/reportascam. If you bought a phone from a third-party seller, check its IMEI, blacklist status and carrier lock before the return window closes.