Amazon, the online retail giant, is facing a new challenge: scammers pretending to be the company to trick Prime members.
This problem is part of a bigger trend where fraudsters pose as well-known businesses to fool consumers.
Michael Bordash, a senior executive at Syniverse, says these scams are like the fake call center tricks that have been around for years.
But now, they’re bigger and smarter. “Criminals are attacking people through calls, texts, and emails,” Bordash explains.
“They’re using AI and human effort to create convincing messages in many languages.”
The scammers try to make people panic.
They might send a message saying, “Amazon: Your Prime membership is on hold due to a payment problem. Please check your details.”
These messages often have links or phone numbers.
The goal is to steal personal information or take over Amazon accounts.
Anyone else seen a massive increase in text-based, relatively sophisticated scams involving Amazon orders, usps deliveries, IRS stuff, and more? Insane. I spent 4-5 years protecting my parents from people who were preying on them; the scammers seem to have become emboldened. pic.twitter.com/XXTDqwAriH
— Luke Burgis (@lukeburgis) August 2, 2023
Sometimes, they even try to get people to buy gift cards, which the scammers then sell for cash.
To stay safe, experts say you should check who sent the email, look at the real web address behind any links, and be careful about messages that say there’s an urgent account problem.
Shawn Moorhead, an executive at Lastwall, stresses, “Always make sure the sender’s email address is real before you do anything.”
These scams show why it’s important to understand online risks in today’s digital world.
As more people shop online, we all need to be careful and know how to spot fake messages.
By learning about these scams and how to avoid them, we can better protect our personal information.
If you’re not sure about a message from Amazon or any other company, it’s best to contact them directly through their official website or customer service number.
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This extra step can save you from falling victim to these increasingly sophisticated scams.
