It used to be eBay and PayPal there were the prime targets for phishers looking coax naive buyers into paying for items outside the protection of the marketplace, but today we’re increasingly seeing the Scammers targeting Amazon. Partly this could be reflective of eBay’s massive efforts over the years to block scammers but also there has been so much publicity, both on and off eBay, that the general public are starting to be aware of the dangers and able to spot a scam attempt.
Amazon is different though, with Amazon buyers are so accustomed to dealing direct with Amazon that it appears to be a total surprise that when they’re conned into completing a transaction direct with a scammer that they don’t have the protection of Amazon’s customer service and A-to-z Guarantee. This week’s Mail Online tells the story of fake Amazon emails with a ‘learn more’ link which when clicked asks the customer to contact the scammer direct. Needless to say when a consumer sends money via Bank Transfer that’s the last they hear from the scammer.
The problem is that the scammers appear to be taking over genuine selling accounts from phishing attempts and then use the compromised account to tempt unsuspecting Amazon customers into sending money by offering goods at ridiculously low prices.
There are two things to be aware of to protect yourself against Scammers targeting Amazon – If you’re an Amazon customer only ever complete deals on the Amazon site in order to be protected by their A-to-z Guarantee. If you’re an Amazon merchant or private Amazon seller, don’t be fooled into clicking links on phishing emails or fake Amazon log in websites. If it’s your account that’s used by the scammers then there’s a good chance Amazon will shut it down and you’ll find it tough to resurrect it.
One Response
This happened to me last week with a variation. The scammers even sent me a verification code to my mobile which I found extremely worrying. Their initial email was worded to the effect that …’ European Law requires us, a payment provider, to confirm the identity of our customers…. and your bank details do not exactly match the information currently held in Seller Central…..
In the whole GDPR chaos it was the form asking me to fill in my bank account numbers and sort code that alerted me to the scam.
However, getting the verification code to the mobile attached to my account really concerned me. Amazon, however, did not seem that worried when I reported it. I guess they are inundated with such emails.