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Cybersecurity experts say Amazon Prime customers are the latest group of consumers to be targeted by scammers.
According to Guardio Security’s February 4th X post, hackers are attempting to spoof Amazon’s product recall messages and steal Amazon Prime account information.
“‘Your Amazon order has been recalled.’ If you recently received this text message, it’s a sneaky phishing scam aimed at hijacking your Amazon account,” said the Tel Aviv, Israel-based cybersecurity platform.
According to a screenshot shared by Guardio, scammers inform customers that their recently purchased item is included in an “official” recall.
The sender also includes a link to a “high-quality fake” Amazon web page that asks you to enter your account contact information and password.
Amazon claims that of all Amazon impersonation scams reported by customers worldwide in 2023, more than two-thirds of the scams were related to order or account issues.
“Scammers trying to impersonate Amazon are putting consumers at risk,” Amazon said in a Feb. 6 statement. “We continue to invest in protecting consumers and educating the public about fraud avoidance.”
Amazon encourages customers to report ‘suspected fraud’
In addition to providing literature on how to identify and report fraudulent activity, Amazon encourages consumers to report suspicious activity to the company “so that we can protect your account and report bad actors to law enforcement to keep you safe.”
In 2024, Amazon began removing more than 55,000 phishing websites and more than 12,000 phone numbers used as part of identity theft schemes, the company said.
Amazon says it “never” requests sensitive information outside of its website or app. According to Amazon, do not respond or click on any links provided by the sender.
The easiest way to verify the legitimacy of a message is to contact Amazon customer service directly or log into your account online or in the app to view your claim details.
According to Forbes, Amazon also boasts a passkey to protect your account, and more than 300 million customers have now upgraded their security to stay safe.
Because “no one is immune to fraud, and no one should feel embarrassed when targeted,” Amazon offers six tips to help you stay one step ahead of bad actors.
- Confirm your purchase on Amazon
- Trust Amazon’s apps and websites
- Beware of False Urgency
- Don’t be forced to buy gift cards
- inquiry
- See what others are saying
