The New York Times – “2020 has changed the way we shop. As more and more people commit to online purchasing for items big and small, the unfortunate truth is that you’re far more likely to run into scammers and scalpers. And the last thing you want after spending your hard-earned money and dealing with numerous shipping delays is to open your package and find a Phony StayPlation instead of a PS5. While Amazon and other retailers have taken better steps towards mitigating the damage of scammers and shady resellers, your first line of defense is becoming a smarter shopper. Here are some of the tips and tricks the Wirecutter Deals Team uses to validate and verify every item and merchant we recommend on our deals page…” [h/t Pete Weiss]

See also BuzzFeedNews – Here’s One Way To Tell If An Amazon Product Is Counterfeit. “It’s easy for counterfeiters to swoop in on a company’s legitimate Amazon product listing and take over the “Buy” button…”