Like many consumers, I shop at Amazon.

And like many consumers, I often get emails that try to trick me into clicking.

My shopping habits and a con artist’s attempt to fool me collided late last month. How I figured it out, and what could have happened, are good reminders for us all.

My family needed some items that I could have purchased locally, but it would be a few days before I could hit a store. So I went to Amazon and added the items — toothpaste, dryer sheets, deodorant and tape — to my shopping cart.

When I tried to log in, my password wasn’t accepted. I double-checked to make sure I was on the real Amazon and not a fake. There was nothing funky about the URL, so I continued.

I went through the password reset process — something we should all do more often even though it’s a pain to remember them all — and it was successful.

I checked out, and my stuff was on the way. There was nothing extraordinary, or sinister, about the exchange.

But timing is everything.

Shortly after, I checked my email on my cell phone, which receives messages from all my accounts into one folder. A new one arrived with the subject line: “Amazon Refund Notice.”

It said: “We wish to inform you that the seller linked to your order has been removed from the Amazon Marketplace due to violations of our compliance rules. As a result, you may qualify for a refund on select products, no return required.”

(Anyone who knows the Bamboozled column knows a violation of any rule gets prime attention here.)

To begin the refund process, it told me to click on a button that said: “Claim refund.”

The email used Amazon’s famous smiley-face arrow logo.

Except for the spacing on the first line of text — something I didn’t notice on my cell phone — it appeared pretty legit.

But I waited until I could look more closely at the email, without rushing, on my laptop.

When I returned to my computer, there were several issues with the message.

First, it came to my work email box and not my personal one. I don’t shop online with my work email, so it was obviously a phishing attempt.

If I had clicked, it would have probably asked me to log in — so the fraudsters would have my password — and it may have also asked for other personal information, like my credit card number, so it could purportedly process that refund. Or, clicking could have quietly downloaded malicious software onto my computer, potentially giving scammers the ability to track my activity — and my passwords — for future identity theft and other chaos.

Next, I examined the email address it came from: amazon@account-activity.com.

Looks like it could be legit, right? Well, all emails from Amazon end in “@amazon.com.” This one did not.

Although fake emails often go out en masse with scammers hoping to catch even a couple of unsuspecting folks with their wide net, this one actually used my name. A personalized email like this makes it more likely the recipient’s guard goes down.

The scammers had my work email and my name. I’m willing to bet they have more information about me, too.

I deleted the email.

But let this be a reminder that if you’re distracted or busy, it’s easy to make a mistake and click on a malicious link.

Amazon’s website suggests a smart and simple solution to make sure you don’t get fooled by an impersonation email.

Log into Amazon and check your “message center” to view all correspondence from the company.

“If the email does not appear in Message Center, then it was not sent by Amazon,” it said.

It’s an effective way to ensure you’re never tricked by a scammer impersonating the retail giant.

If you do receive a suspicious email, you can report it to Amazon at reportascam@amazon.com.

Safe shopping, Jersey.