Amazon Scams - How to Recognize Them, Report Them and Protect Yourself

Amazon Scams - How to Recognize Them, Report Them and Protect Yourself

 

 

Amazon scams are exploding in numbers. Many people receive on an scam email or text every other day now. See this NY Post article Amazon Scams Up 500%.

Here's what you need to know to recognize and protect yourself from these scammers.

First, look for inappropriate requests.

Amazon never asks for the following information in an email communication:

Amazon will NEVER ask for you:

• bank account information,
• credit card number,
• PIN number,
• credit card security code (including "updates" to any of the above)
• mother's maiden name
• Your Amazon or Seller Central account password, nor
• any other information to identify you, such as your birth city or your favorite pet's name

Next, look for obvious clues that it is from a scammer.

• Look for grammatical or typographical errors:
  Watch for poor grammar or typographical errors.
  Many phishing emails are translated from other languages or are sent without being proof-read.
• Check the return address: On Apple devices, hover over the return address. On Microsoft, right click on it.
   Actual emails from Amazon always will come from an address ending in "@amazon.com"
  or these legitimate Amazon email addresses listed here:
  • amazon.co.uk
  • amazon.de
  • amazon.es
  • amazon.fr
  • amazon.it
  • amazon.lu
  • amazon.com.au
  • amazonsellerservices.com
  • amazon.ae
  • sell.amazon.com.au
  • amazon.sa
  • sell.amazon.com
  • gs.amazon.cn
  • sell.amazon.ca
  • vender.amazon.com.mx
  • venda.amazon.com.br
  • sell.amazon.co.uk
  • sell.amazon.sg
  • satis.amazon.com.tr
  • amazon.com.tr
• Check the email's header information  (click here to see how). 
  If the "received from," "reply to," or "return path" for the email does not come from one of the domains above, it is not from Amazon. The scammers often use the word "Amazon"  in their own addresses, don't be fooled. Here are some examples of fake return addresses.
  • seller-performance@payments-amazon.com
  • amazon-security@hotmail.com
  • amazon-payments@msn.com
• Check the website's address:
  Scammers often create their own websites using the word "amazon" somewhere in the name. Amazon never uses combinations, like "security-amazon.com" or "amazon.com.biz.". ALL authentic Amazon websites always end with:
  •  ".amazon.com",
  • "amazonsellerservices.com" or
  • "sellercentral.amazon.com."

 

Report the scam to Amazon

To report a scam email to Amazon, submit a scam report to Amazon.

You may also forward phishing emails and other suspected forgeries directly to Amazon at stop-spoofing@amazon.com.

Amazon also has the following direct links for specific situations based on how you have responded to email.

• I have not shared any information
• I have shared Amazon account information
• I have shared Banking information
• I have given remote access to my computer/devices
• I have shared other information

Report unsolicited packages received

• Unsolicited package received

Report Gift Card Fraud/Abuse

• Common Gift Card Scams

 

See examples of scam emails

Example 1 - supposedly "A message from Amazon Costomer Service"

Protect yourself

Do not unsubscribe: Never follow instructions contained in a forged email that claim to provide a method for unsubscribing. Many spammers use these unsubscribe processes to create a list of valid, working email addresses. Use the features in Seller Central to track your orders: The Sold, Ship Now email notification is a useful tool. However, you can find the most accurate and up-to-date information for your orders using the Manage Orders feature in your seller account.
If an offer sounds too good to be true, it probably is: Sometimes phisher emails will offer you deals, such as a discount or a free item, in return for completing a simple task, (for example, signing in to your seller account). We recommend that you never sign in to your seller account by clicking on a link embedded in email.

Do not:

• Call the telephone number.
• It might be a for-fee premium-line scam similar to a 900 number that could cost you money. Also, by calling, you are confirming that your telephone number is real and you are a potential idiot, meaning you will get many more scam calls in the future.
• Click on any links in the email.
  You may be installing malware. And by clicking on the links, you confirm that your email address is active and being read. you will see a big increase in future scam emails.
• Reply to the email. Again, you will just be confirming that your email address is real. Just delete the email.