Amazon Forced to Issue Warning About Two New Scams Their Customers Are Falling For
Online shoppers were significantly affected by this scam that happened a few days ago. Amazon recently warned customers of a few types of new scams that people should be aware of. The new scams were reported to the company in the past few days. The two scams were extremely easy to fall for, so much so that it forced the company to issue a press release, per KROC.
The first scam
Scammers are calling people posing as Amazon customer service agents and telling them that they need to reach out to share their banking information as there's an issue with their membership. The scammers even threaten the customers that their accounts won't be reinstated and they won't be able to purchase anything. The company has advised its customers to go and update the account themselves in a simple step from the website or the app.
The second scam
The second kind is a common kind, the fraudster calls the customer and says that their Amazon account has been deleted. From there, they send you a link that they say needs to be clicked on to verify the account. once you put in your login credentials they gain access to your financial details.
Steps to shield yourself as customers
In the same press release, Amazon talks about some steps you as a customer can take. Amazon asks customers to refrain from sharing any personal information under any circumstances. They also talk about how the customers never need to verify anything on their behalf.
"Scammers who attempt to impersonate Amazon put consumers at risk," said Dharmesh Mehta, Amazon’s vice president of Selling Partner Services. "Although these scams take place outside our store, we will continue to invest in protecting consumers and educating the public on how to avoid scams," said Mehta.
Here are other measures you can take:
Verify purchases on Amazon: If you receive a message about any order, always go and check the app or the website.
Always refer to the app or website: Amazon's app and website are safe places so, always stick to those spaces.
Never fall for false urgency: Scammers will often create false urgency in order to fool you into making hasty decisions. Don't fall for it.
Nobody will call you and ask you to buy Amazon Gift Cards: Amazon mentions how they will never ever call you and ask you to buy any gift card. So always refer to the help page if anybody is asking you to buy a gift card.
Contact Amazon: Whenever in doubt, call the company and clear the doubt. If you ever face any suspicious activity, it's a good idea to let the company know so that they can take measures to stop it.
Other types of Amazon scams
Social Security Scams: In this type of scam, the scammer claims that they will resolve an issue with your Social Security number by using an Amazon gift card.
Fake Online Listings: Sellers on the website may ask you to pay for goods using an Amazon Gift card but do not be fooled by them.
Job-offer Scams: Callers will offer you work-from-home Amazon jobs which are purely a way of scamming people.
Boss Scams: Boss scams pose as your boss and ask you if you need to buy something with your employee card. These scams have been polished after the usage of AI has increased in recent times.
Unpaid Debt or Tax Scams: They tell you that they will resolve any kind of issue that you might be facing with tax or debt and ask you to use Amazon Pay. It's purely a tactic to steal your money.