Amazon Scams Are On The Rise - Here Are The Warning Signs You're Being Targeted

Phishing attempts are increasingly advanced, with hackers and cybercriminals making their schemes so believable that even the most cautious are being scammed.

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One of the latest schemes involves texting the phones of people claiming to be a bank or business to trick people into sharing their personal data. Amazon seems to be the latest of the companies.

According to FTC data, one in five consumers from July 2021 to June 2022 who reported a scam with hackers posing as a business said the business used was Amazon.

How do hackers use SMS to steal data?

The premise is simple: hackers will text users posing as Amazon representatives asking for a variety of different things, including false reports of suspicious activity on their account or false information about delays shipping or parcel arrival.

Often hackers will include a hyperlink in the message which will usually deploy some kind of malware to the device which will trigger some kind of virus.

Other times the "representative" will request information such as username and password or credit card information using false claims that there is a problem with the account, that payment has not been made, or even by sending a link to a fake delivery notice.

Scammers often make their claims very specific, which can make them harder to spot at first glance.

What are some of the signs that you are being scammed?

The FTC states that legitimate companies like Amazon would not ask for your personal or account information via text message.

Links you didn't expect or any unexpected text asking you to divulge personal information are also red flags.

Other common signs of scam are that you have won a free prize or gift card, low or no interest credit card offers, and being sent a fake bill and being asked to contact them if you do not authorize the purchase.

What can you do to avoid being scammed?

If you think you've been scammed by someone posing as Amazon, there are a few things to check.

If the text message includes a link that says "Amazon" in the URL, note the placement of the word. For example, the link itself must have a word before the "Amazon" part of the link, such as "shop.amazon.com" or "explore.amazon.com".

"We will never send emails that contain links to an IP address (string of numbers), such as http://123.456.789.123/amazon.com/. If the link directs you to a site which is not a legit amazon domain, it's probably a phishing scam,” reads the Amazon website.

If the message asks you to update your payment information, go to Amazon.com and sign in to your account. If you're not prompted to update your information here, it's probably fake.

Anything with typos or grammatical errors is also likely to be spam, as are order confirmations for items you did not order.

Amazon maintains that customers should not open links or attachments if they have any idea that something suspicious is going on.

Customers can also visit this page to report suspicious activity or phishing attempts.