For any US residents, or people with US based credit cards, the safest way to buy on line (or in a store) is with a credit card. The Federal Trade Commission mandates a fraud liability limit of 50.00 USD. There are many exceptions where even the $ 50.00 is not due. Also note that credit card issuers are typically good about jumping in to help.
Never use a debit card or a pre-paid credit card. These don't have the protection. If you're looted dry- it is gone forever. And, as Jake strongly suggested, keep your bank account numbers on complete lock down. If a vendor wants gift cards instead of normal payment, run fast & far.
Some good starting-point sites for scam information are:
Use USA.gov’s scam reporting tool to identify a scam and help you find the right government agency or consumer organization to report it.
www.usa.gov
and
and
Get notified about the latest scams in your area and receive tips on how to protect yourself and your family with the AARP Fraud Watch Network.
www.aarp.org
Sign up for the Fraud Alerts (free) and they will send notices of new scams.
These sites aren't specifically for finding a list of all the scammers, but provide a good education & starting place.
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My Take On The Amazon Side Track Started Above:
Amazon & I aren't really good buddies. They are my "Vendor Of Last Resort". Whenever I end up using them, I have to go to confession & tell the parish Priest that I committed a sin against the earth.
I very much dislike Amazon's environmental foot print.
My next door neighbors are Prime members & get multiple deliveries every day- 7 days a week. (They're the kings of consumption. New Television in- Old one in the trash. Repeat next week. New bike, tool box, computer, etc in... On the positive side, their recycle bin is like brand new.)
One day I was working outside and counted 8 Prime trucks within one hour. I asked one of the drivers if they each come from different place. He said- No, we're all from the same warehouse- about 32 miles (& 45 mins to 1+ driving hour) away. The guy went on to say he may go from the warehouse to one address with one package, then back to the warehouse. No other stops.
Once I bought a micro SD card & a HDMI cable. The SD came in a 6 - 6 - 6 inch Amazon box. The HDMI cable came in a (separate) 6 -6 - 6 box- both in the same UPS delivery. Tee shirt- same thing- a big box. (That could be in an envelope.)
The big packages take up truck space, thus requiring more trucks/planes on the road/in the air polluting. Plus, more energy wasted making the boxes, tape, etc- recycled materials or not.
Amazon does not always have "one's back" when things go wrong:
I bought a battery lawnmower on Amazon. The seller was the mower's manufacturer. It was sold as new & had a 4 year warranty. The shipper was Amazon. The mower was second hand, dirty & came missing several parts, rendering it unusable. The serial number date was 3 years old.
I asked Amazon for either the mower's parts, which I would install, or an exchange. Amazon told me to deal with the vendor & leave them out of it. The vendor is an Authorized Amazon Seller & the "Shipped By" was Amazon.
The vendor-manufacturer of the mower never replied to my inquiries. After a month of waiting & repeatedly calling & writing the manufacturer-vendor, I went back to Amazon & was told again to leave them out of it. They kicked me to the curb. The credit card company, however, took care of the problem. It took 4 months of the credit card company's waiting for the vendor to reply to their threat of removing the charge & not getting replies, but I got a refund. Boy was my lawn tall!
Amazon Packs Lousy:
Once we ordered a bag of ground flaxseed and a bottle of silicone machine oil. They packaged them in the same envelope, with no inner bag for either. Paper envelope, too. No padding, just heavy paper. The silicone oil's glass jar got shattered, ruining the flour. I received a whole lot of grief from Amazon about replacing the stuff. It ended up in a dreaded 2 hour Chat session: "Just wring out the flaxseed bag to get your oil back. You can cook the flaxseed and the oil will leave." Huh? My next move was: Hello? Credit card company? The problem was solved instantly.
Recently, I ordered a digital scale. Amazon sent it with no box. The shipping label was stuck to the scale's cardboard package. The package was soaked & still very wet with what smelled like "Weed Be Gone" cologne. I could not even take it in the house, it smelled so bad (even on a 15-F degree day). The scale package was torn & smashed, not to mention the shipping label covering the instructions. The scale was destroyed & did not work. Amazon gave me absolutely no grief about the exchange (automated process this time). But the next one came in an envelope- and smashed. They have big boxes for Micro SD cards, but not digital scales?
The Drivers Can Be Careless Too:
On another day, one Amazon driver was parked, looking at his phone, about 50 feet from the intersection. I was walking and started crossing the street. He "matted it" through the intersection, tires squealing & still looking down- right through the Stop sign. I jumped back, but still got hit dead-on by the truck's mirror. I was knocked to the pavement, but the driver kept on going really fast down the residential street which had kids playing. My letters of complaint have all been ignored. They still drive crazy in the neighborhood. Someday a child is going to be killed by one of these thoughtless people.
Sorry to continue the Amazon off-topic, but I tend to side with those who are not big fans of Amazon.
Paul
