A new threat alert has been identified that is aiming to take advantage of Amazon’s upcoming Prime Day! As Prime Day approaches on July 11-12, Consumer Affairs has been compiling a log of those scams that they have seen directed to take advantage of online shoppers looking for a good deal.
The scams identified are:
- SMS messages from scammers say that due to your account security issue, you need to log in via the fake URLs on the message. The victims might share their phone numbers or emails with scammers since they were asked to use these kinds of personal information to retrieve their accounts.
- Scammers pretend to celebrate Amazon Prime Day and then invite users to sign-up and get free shipping benefits to steal victims’ personal information.
- Scammers are baiting users with a $25 or $100 Amazon gift card as a reward to attract email receivers to click the mail or even to redirect them to other suspicious websites.
- Scammers are impersonating Amazon to give special discounts on some houseware and redirect victims to buy those on fake shopping sites.
The recommendation is that if you see something too good to be true, it probably is. This year’s Prime Day scams span far longer than the two-day event itself, and as more online retailers offer discounts and deals during Prime Day, the emails could appear to come from other entities outside of Amazon.
Some advice to see you through this week:
- Always check the sender. Anything legitimate will come from Amazon.com. Anything hyphenated or spelled incorrectly is not legitimate!
- Hover over links in emails before you click. Make sure URLs are legitimate and spelled correctly.
- If you receive a phone call, simply tell them that you will go to the website and investigate whatever the issue is. You can also tell them you will call the customer service number from the website directly.
- Delete any SMS messages. Amazon will not text you regarding your account.
As always, Security Awareness Training is the best way to stay safe in this ever-changing landscape of the internet! Click here to speak with someone who can help determine the best security training for your staff!
