Banking Scam Emails - Phone Calls - Texts

Always watch for text messages, phone calls or emails that ask you for private information. Companies have warned their customers of these types of scams. “Don’t reply to an email, phone call or text message that tell you your account has been compromised, then asks you to give or confirm your personal or account information” Also never follow any links directly from a text message or email. If the service has issues with your account, you can resolve it by going directly to the website or calling them directly.

Amazon Scam Phone Calls

Action Fraud, a fraud reporting center, has warned of a widespread phone scam targeting Amazon customers. The phone calls are automated and inform recipients that their Amazon account has been hacked. Victims are asked to press “1” in order to be connected with a human. This human will then use social engineering--that is, work to persuade them--in order to convince the victim to install remote access software on their computers. That malware then allows the attackers to steal financial information.

If you receive a phone call like this and are unsure of its legitimacy, Action Fraud says you should hang up and call Amazon using the customer service line on its website.

Unsolicited requests to remote access your computer should always raise a red flag. It’s easy to feel embarrassed when faced with unexpected or complex conversations but it’s okay to stop the discussion if you do not feel in control of it. If you’ve received an unexpected phone call, or other communication, stop and take a minute to think about whether an organization would get in touch with you out of the blue in this way. Instead, contact them directly using a known email or phone number.

Amazon echoed this advice in a statement, emphasizing that it won’t ask for personal information over the phone.

If you receive a suspicious phone call, email or text message claiming to be from Amazon, asking for payment, personal information or offering a refund you do not expect, please do not share any personal information, and disconnect any phone call immediately, the company said. Please also note that Amazon will never ask for your personal information, or ask you to make a payment outside of their website. If you received an e-mail regarding an order or Prime membership, or anything that you don't recognize, please forward the e-mail to stop-spoofing@amazon.com and then delete it. Do not click on any links in such emails.