As the shopping season of “Black Friday” and “Cyber Monday” in the United States approaches, online sales have surged, but on the other hand, parcel thefts and fraud cases have also risen. Amazon has issued warnings to users that criminals are using new tricks to carry out impersonation fraud.
Holly Huang, a resident of Orange County in Southern California who frequently shops online, has been an Amazon Prime member for the past five years. The system automatically deducts the membership fee from her credit card without any issues.
However, in early November, she received an email that appeared to be from Amazon, informing her that the payment information for her Prime membership was invalid and she needed to click on a hyperlink in the email (which also looked very real) to update it.
“I found it a bit strange at the time because I hadn’t changed my card, and I had been using my Prime account to make purchases regularly. Luckily, I checked the settings through my account directly and there was no prompt for me to update,” said Huang. She later realized she had encountered a new phishing scam after Amazon issued a fraud alert.
Amazon has stated that they will never ask users to provide detailed banking information or any other personal data.
With over 310 million active users globally, including over 200 million Prime members, Amazon has been sending out email alerts to users for months in response to the increasing incidents of impersonation fraud and phishing attacks. Many Amazon users have also shared various fraud methods they have encountered online.
The North Bergen Police Department in New Jersey warned on social media in September, “We have found ongoing fraud messages impersonating Amazon’s ‘Security Team,’ informing you that a product you purchased is being recalled due to a security issue, and all you have to do is click on a (suspicious) link to get a refund.”
Some Amazon users have reported being added to a group chat with many strangers. Authorities have stated that these types of fraud messages are tactics used by scammers to steal personal information, so users should not reply or click on any links. Police in Kentucky have also issued similar warnings.
Amazon points out on its website that impersonation fraud methods vary, including through phone calls, emails, text messages, and social media messages. The scammers’ usual aim is to induce consumers to make payments, provide personal information, or grant remote computer access. To help users avoid falling victim to scams, Amazon also offers some tips to recognize scammers.
1) Recognizing fake emails:
If you receive an email claiming to be from Amazon but are unsure of its authenticity, login to your member account and check the “Message Center.” If the email is not in the “Message Center,” it means it is not from Amazon.
Furthermore, scammers may mimic official email addresses and communication styles. Legitimate Amazon email addresses will include “Amazon.com,” while scammers may use misspelled or additional characters.
2) Recognizing fake text messages:
Scammers may send text messages impersonating Amazon. Be on alert if you receive texts from unknown numbers, unexpected orders or delivery notifications, or texts containing phishing links. The URLs in phishing links typically have spelling errors.
3) Recognizing fake phone calls:
If you receive a call claiming to be from Amazon but the caller asks for payment over the phone, transactions outside of the Amazon website, remote access to your computer, or requests for sensitive information such as Amazon account passwords, credit card details, or bank account information, remain vigilant. Disconnect the call immediately if something seems off and contact customer service through the Amazon app or website.
4) Recognizing fake websites:
Be cautious if you see URLs with many numbers, spelling or grammar errors, or URLs that redirect to pages outside of the Amazon website. Also, hover over the link and check if the displayed URL differs from the actual URL before clicking on it.
Amazon additionally points out on its website that these types of scams often create a false sense of urgency, attempt to solicit personal information, and induce victims to use gift cards for payment. If you encounter any of these scenarios, stay vigilant. ◇