Two 2023 Amazon scams
When Amazon began as a humble online bookseller in 1994 in Jeff Bezos’s garage, online scams didn’t exist. Fast forward to today, and the company is one of the largest retailers in the world. Is it any wonder it’s also a lure for online scams? Here are five tips to avoid two of the 2023 Amazon scams.
In mid-December, an email landed in my inbox. It was a warning from Amazon about order confirmation and tech support scams. These, apparently, are the 2023 scams of choice where Amazon is concerned. Part of the reason these scams have become so prevalent is the shift to online purchasing spurred by the pandemic. Let’s look at how these scams work and what you can do to protect yourself.
Order confirmation scams
The scam begins when you receive an email, text message, or phone call about a recent purchase. The transaction will be a big one—way too large to ignore. There also will be plenty of information, including an order number, an amount, and other legitimate-sounding details.
For most people, this ‘transaction’ will be a frightening alarm bell about a possible breach in Amazon’s security. That’s exactly the reaction the scammer is hoping. Your first reaction is to click the link or call Amazon using the contact information they provide. As you may have guessed, that’s the last thing you want to do.
Tech support scams
The tech support scam can begin much like an order confirmation scam, i.e., a phone call, text, or email. These scams affect Amazon because some of their products or services may require technical support. And as a consumer, you want to be sure to get your support from a legitimate source, not from someone who’s out to steal from you.
In addition to scammers making contact to start this scam, they can also set up fake websites that are clones of legitimate sites. The tough part for you and me is that these can appear identical to the real thing. The only differences are the URL and what will happen to any information you provide.
Five ways to avoid the scam
Tip 1: Don’t you dare click that link!
It can be tempting to click a link that’s included in an unsolicited email or text, but that’s the wrong thing to do. Scammers can embed any destination they want in those links, and most likely that will be a fake website.
Tip 2: Check the URL in the address bar
If you’re using the official Amazon mobile app to make contact, there’s no need to worry about this. But if you’re using a website to find customer service, tech support, or to make changes to your account, be on the alert for fake websites. Scammers can easily create cloned websites to use for their own purposes. Here’s a link to a guide on Amazon.com about how to determine if a phone call, email, text, or webpage is legitimate. (Quick hint: always look for Amazon.com immediately before the trailing slashes or question mark.)
Tip 3: If it’s urgent, it’s probably a scam
Scammers want to create a false urgency when working a scam. They don’t want to give you time to think or research what they’re telling you. Whenever someone contacts you and claims you must ‘act soon,’ be on alert. That urgency is there to apply pressure and possibly get you to give them your personal information or your money.
Tip 4: Never pay over the phone
Nobody wants to throw away their hard-earned cash, so make this your mantra—never pay money to someone you don’t know. This includes not only paying over the phone, but also in response to an email or text.
Tip 5: Keep your social media social
There were a lot of places in the Wild West where the rules didn’t apply. Social media platforms are a lot like that. Despite what Facebook or Meta or whatever they’re calling themselves on this particular day would like you to believe, it’s almost impossible to confirm who you’re dealing with on social media. The best rule of thumb is to use social media to do what it was designed for, to be social, not to do business.
People sometimes ask why Amazon would let these types of scams of go on. The reality is that they can’t stop them. The only person who can prevent you from becoming a victim in one of these scams is you. All it takes is a little vigilance, and your online world will be a much safer place.
Did you see last month’s scam tip? You can find it at Charitable giving scams come front and center. Click here to view more Friday Morning Post entries, or you can follow me on Twitter.
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