CONSUMER CATCH-UP: Avoiding Prime Day scams, Modelo tops beer sales, Carmel hotel prices

BySimone Chavoor KGO logo

Tuesday, July 11, 2023

CONSUMER CATCH-UP: Prime Day scams, Modelo beer sales, and more

CONSUMER CATCH-UP: The BBB offers tips on avoiding Amazon Prime Day scams, and more,

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- BBB warns shoppers to look out for scams during Amazon Prime Days

Amazon's Prime Day - really a two-day, site-wide sale - begins Tuesday, June 11. And with all the shopping deals, there are also scammers looking to "steals" from unsuspecting customers.

The Better Business Bureau issued a warning to consumers that as Amazon launches its annual shopping event, shoppers should be on the lookout for scams. The biggest threat to shoppers are scammers impersonating the online retail giant. The BBB says that phishing attempts increase during busy shopping seasons such as Prime Day; fraudsters will send emails that look like they're from Amazon, hoping to lure victims into giving up their Amazon account information.

The BBB urges consumers to look out for unsolicited emails, texts, or phone calls purporting to be from Amazon. These messages can vary: some will say there is a problem with your account and prompt you to log in with your username or password, others will say there is a "gift" waiting for you, and ask for your personal information in order to claim it.

Other tips include watching for grammatical or spelling errors in the messages, making sure websites have the secure "https" prefix in front of the URL, and to pay with a credit card, which usually has more fraud protections than other forms of payment, like a debit card.

Modelo beer outsells Bud Light for second month in a row

Mexican beer Modelo Especial has outsold Bud Light for the second month in a row.

The lager made up 8.7% of overall beer sales for June, topping Bud Light's 7% share for that time. Modelo Especial was also the highest-selling beer in May.

Bud Light previously held the top honor for nearly twenty years, and is still to date the top-selling beer in the United States, but its sales have recently suffered from backlash from conservatives angry that Bud Light partnered with transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney for a social media promotion.

Mulvaney says that the beer company did not reach out to her as she experienced a deluge of angry social media reaction to the promotion. Bud Light has since tried other campaign strategies, including featuring country music and football.

Carmel-by-the-Sea has the costliest hotel rooms in California, says survey

Carmel-by-the-Sea is the most expensive California summer destination in terms of hotel stays, according to a survey by CheapHotels.Org.

The survey looked at the cost of a double bed hotel room in 30 popular destination towns for stays during the months of July and August. Staying in a hotel in Carmel-by-the-Sea cost an average of $305 per night, beating Santa Monica ($287) and Pismo Beach ($280).

Prices in Carmel-by-the-Sea increased more than 30% since CheapHotels.Org last conducted their survey in 2019. On average, hotel rates in California rose 5% in that same period.

Monterey ranked seventh on the list ($235 per night) of California destinations, and Palo Alto - the most expensive "non-beach" town" - came in at number nine ($231 per night).

Take a look at more stories and videos by Michael Finney and 7 On Your Side.

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