AARP Hearing Center

Scams are epidemic these days as criminals use every conceivable avenue to separate consumers from their cash. It makes sense that they frequently pretend to be big companies or institutions affiliated with millions of people (potential victims, in their minds): the Internal Revenue Service, the Social Security Administration, big banks such as Wells Fargo and Chase — or massive retailers such as Amazon.
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) issued an alert this month that noted a “growing wave” of government and business-impersonation scams “aimed squarely at retirees’ life savings.”
And Amazon, which brought in nearly $638 billion in net sales last year, is “the low hanging fruit” for scammers, because it’s one of those “entities that binds us all,” says Mark Fetterhoff, a senior adviser at AARP Fraud Watch Network.
The massive company is among the most frequently impersonated businesses, along with Best Buy and its Geek Squad service, according to FTC data.
Criminals replicate how Amazon and other businesses communicate with their customers “in ways that are incredibly convincing,” says Abigail Bishop, Amazon’s head of external relations for scam prevention. “It’s an ever-evolving problem.”
(Read how AARP has teamed up with Amazon to help other companies protect their customers from scams.)
The latest Amazon impersonation scams
1. A twist on the refund scam. The FTC recently warned of an uptick in reports of impostors who will send texts apparently from Amazon claiming that there’s a problem with a recent purchase. To receive a refund — without needing to return the item — click a link. But there is no refund: ”It’s a phishing scam to steal your money or personal information,” the FTC notes.
2. A twist on the membership renewal scam. Amazon says that more customers report receiving fake emails saying their Amazon Prime subscription will automatically renew, but the price given is unusually high (Amazon refers to it as “an unexpected price”). The email may include a “cancel subscription” button that leads to a fake Amazon login page. (Always confirm your Amazon account information directly through the app or by typing Amazon.com into your browser, the company advises.)
Other common Amazon impersonation scams
Sometimes the criminals will use a mix of the scams described below.
The fake order or delivery. You’ll receive a message that there’s a problem with your shipment and you need to pay a fee to straighten it out. The message may include a link that — like so many delivery scams involving UPS or the U.S. Postal Service — if clicked, might download malware to your computer or lead you to a request for personal information. Or you may be contacted by phone, and the criminal will request your password, payment information or other sensitive data. They may suggest that there’s a technical problem and ask to take control of your computer to fix it (see “Tech support scam” below).
Suspicious purchase. The criminals call to confirm your purchase of what’s usually a big-ticket item. “And you’re like, ‘I’m sorry. What?’ ” Bishop says. “You’re caught off guard, which they use to their advantage, creating that false urgency. ‘We really need to resolve this issue.’ ”
They may ask for your login info. It’s not a new scam, Bishop notes, but “continues to be prevalent, because, unfortunately, it’s effective.”
Membership renewal scams. Many people don’t remember when their annual payment for Amazon Prime is due, so when customers are told it’s time to pay up, it seems plausible, Bishop says. Scammers know you are probably busy and have a lot on your mind, she says, so they “are going to find those sorts of cracks in your day to weasel in and try to get you to do something that you shouldn’t.”
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