FILE – An Amazon company logo marks the facade of a building, March 18, 2022, in Schoenefeld near Berlin. Amazon is taking another stab toward becoming a regular health care source for customers with the launch of a service centered on virtual care. The e-commerce giant says its Prime customers can now get quick access to a health care provider through a program that costs $9 a month or $99 annually. (AP Photo/Michael Sohn, File)
Scammers love to latch on to the names of large companies.
Why? They have lots of customers and recognizable names, so chances are you’ll open the email.
Amazon customers are a popular target.
“They are getting better and better at looking extremely authentic,” explained Scott Knapp, Amazon’s Director of Worldwide Buyer Risk Prevention.
Knapp detailed the top scams to watch out for this holiday season.
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Order Confirmation Scam
This is where you get an email about an expensive item you didn’t actually buy. The goal is to get you to click a link to cancel. Problem is, the link leads to the scam artists.
“So you get a little bit concerned that you might get charged for something and then suddenly you’re engaging with a bad actor,” expaind Knapp.
Email Attachment Scam
This involves an email that says your account will be shut down and it includes an attachment with a link inside.
“The only problem is, it directs that right to a bad actor’s website where they now can collect all kinds of information, including payment information from you,” said Knapp.
Prime Membership Scam
Amazon has over 200 million Prime members, and scammers have taken notice. A third popular scam involves an email that says there’s an issue with your Prime Membership.
“They’ll say, hey, you need to pay us a certain amount of money so we can fix your Prime Membership. All these things result in bad actors getting hold of your payment information and then being able to use it for their own purposes,” said Knapp.
Knapp’s biggest tip for when you’re worried something isn’t right?
“My biggest piece of advice for people is to pause, take a beat, and before you click on a link, before you respond to a text or a phone call, and just, hey, was I expecting this? And if not, check it out with the real thing,” he concluded.
One more thing to watch out for? Searching for an Amazon Customer Service phone number online. Sometimes, scammers hijack the top results and post phone numbers that will redirect you into their call centers.
The safest way to reach Amazon is by going to Amazon.com/help or by using a link inside the mobile app.
