Amazon customers have been urged to check over their accounts. The warning comes amid reports of scammers using a devious plot to gain access to people’s accounts.
Experts at consumer site Which? have raised the alarm about a scam where fraudsters call you up, usually from a spoofed number, claiming to be from Amazon. They tell you there has been suspicious activity on your account, in a bid to panic you into taking action. The scammers then say you will be sent a text from Amazon with a passcode that you should share with them.
The scam is convincing as you will be sent a passcode text which is genuinely from the shopping site, but it will have been sent out because the fraudster is trying to log into your account.
Lisa Webb, Which? consumer law expert, said: « Criminals will use passcode scams to target any Amazon user whose details have been obtained by hackers, possibly from a data breach or a previous scam attempt. Fraudsters use your phone number to attempt to log in to your Amazon account, triggering genuine one-time passcode messages from Amazon to throw people off the scent. »
She warned that it is easy to be duped by the scam. Ms Webb said: « Anyone can be caught off guard at the wrong moment, especially if they’re under stress or distracted. » She urged people to take action if they think they have been targeted.
The expert said: « If you think your account has been compromised, the first thing you should do is log in to Amazon and change your password via its official website or app – it’s a good idea to then activate multi-factor authentication if you haven’t already.
« Consumers should bear in mind that passcode scams are not unique to Amazon: scammers also used a variation of these tactics to target O2 customers. » Once the fraudsters are in your account, they can access your personal information and can redeem any gift card or credit you have with the group.
If you have a seller profile, they could post fake listings or manipulate reviews, which could result in your reputation being damaged, or your account could even be suspended. They can also use data from your account for further scams.
Amazon said in a statement shared by Which?: « Scammers that attempt to impersonate Amazon put consumers at risk and we will continue to invest in protecting consumers and educating the public on scam avoidance. We encourage consumers to report suspected scams to us so that we can protect their accounts and refer bad actors to law enforcement to help keep consumers safe.
« We may ask you to verify your identity if you call customer service for support, but Amazon will never contact you first to ask you for your password, verification passcodes or security question. »
For the latest money saving tips, shopping and consumer news, go to the new Everything Money website.
