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Amazon shoppers need to be wary of a fresh batch of emails claiming to be from the online retailer. A new scam has just been spotted by security experts at Avanan and it’s so convincing it’s simple to see just how easy it is to be fooled. The sinister trick begins with an official-looking email from Amazon which claims that an order has been received and a payment confirmed from the account holder.
Scammers make sure that the invoice is for a high-value item which immediately raises a concern for the person who has received it. The spoof message even features a link that takes the victim directly to Amazon’s website.
With no apparent way to stop the order from going through, the email message contains a phone number that customers are urged to call if they have any issues with the items that have been billed to their account. Of course, this number has nothing to do with Amazon and, once called, the cyber thieves then try to take full advantage.
According to Avanan, anyone ringing the fake hotline won’t instantly speak to someone.
Instead, the call will be returned a few hours later with the tricksters then asking for full card details to stop the purchase from going through.
Those who are fooled could then find themselves seriously out of pocket with the online thieves using these details to steal money from bank accounts and credit cards.
Speaking about the scam, Avanan said: “As holiday shopping begins earlier this year due to supply chain issues, many are beginning to stock up, especially from Amazon. For hackers, it’s an opportunity to spoof purchase notifications in order to obtain financial information. This attack works by using legitimate Amazon links, forcing the end-user to make a phone call instead to cancel any order.
“In this email, the hackers convincingly spoof a typical Amazon order confirmation notice. All links go directly to Amazon’s site. This means that even the most trained user will click on it. What would set off alarm bells is the actual email address, which comes from a Gmail address. “
If you see an email from Amazon that doesn’t look right then the advice is to delete it immediately.
On its website, Amazon gives full details about the type of scams that can affect with the company saying it will never ask for personal information to be supplied by e-mail.
Amazon also will never request to update payment information that is not linked to an Amazon order you placed or an Amazon service you subscribed to.
