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Beware of Amazon-Related Scams

posted on Thursday, May 26, 2022 in Fraud

Amazon Related Scams

We’ve been made aware of several Amazon scams that have been greatly impacting households nationwide. We’re committed to providing you with knowledge to detect and report fraudulent activity so you can protect your finances. 

  • Never pay over the phone. Amazon will never ask you to provide payment information, including gift cards or verification cards for products or services over the phone. 
  • Trust Amazon-owned channels. Always go through the Amazon mobile app or website when seeking customer support or when looking to make changes to your account.
  • Be wary of false urgency. Scammers may try to create a sense of urgency to persuade you to do what they're asking. Be wary any time someone tries to convince you that you must act now.

  • Be wary of unsolicited remote assistance. Never give anyone access to manipulate your computer, tablet, or phone screens – known as “remote access” – unless you have initiated and verified the assistance.

  • Never give out your personal information unless it's a trusted source. While some departments at Amazon will try and contact customers, Amazon will never ask customers to disclose or verify their Amazon.com password, credit card, banking account or social security number.  Scammers may try to use calls, texts, and emails to impersonate Amazon customer service. If you're ever unsure, it's safest to end the call/chat and reach out directly to customer support through the Amazon app or website. If you receive a suspicious email, do not click on any links and report it immediately.

Suspicious emails or webpages not from Amazon.com often contain:

  • An order confirmation for an item you didn't purchase or an attachment to an order confirmation. Go to Your Orders to see if there is an order that matches the details in the email. If it doesn't match an order in Your Account, the message isn't from Amazon.
  • Requests for your Amazon.com username and/or password, or other personal information
  • Requests to update payment information. Go to Your Account and select Payment options. If you aren't prompted to update your payment method on that screen, the message isn't from Amazon.
  • Links to websites that look like Amazon.com, but aren't Amazon
  • Attachments or prompts to install software on your computer
  • Typos or grammatical errors
  • Forged email addresses to make it look like the email is coming from Amazon.com. If the "from" line of the email contains an Internet Service Provider (ISP) other than @amazon.com, then it's a fraudulent email.

Please report any suspicious activity to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) at www.reportfraud.ftc.gov. Additionally, if you feel you are a victim of an Amazon-related scam or any other scam, please contact Community 1st Credit Union at 866.360.5370 or email memberservice@c1stcu.com to speak with a C1st Representative.