If you have an Amazon account, beware of scam calls

DORAL, FL – If you have an Amazon account and you receive a phone call from someone claiming there’s a problem with your account, be cautious as it may be a scam call. 

According to a scam alert issued by the Better Business Bureau on Friday, there’s a new modality of fraud aimed at stealing people’s personal information. 

Scammers pose as Amazon workers through a recorded message in which it’s explained there’s a problem such as a lost package, a fraudulent charge on a Prime card or an order for an iPhone 10 that can’t be fulfilled. 

“They’re targeting anybody with a phone. Whether it’s a business or whether it’s a somebody who doesn’t own their own company, you’re a target,” Lori Wilson, CEO of the BBB’s Oakland office, told KFSN, according to the Kansas City Star. 

After initially explaining customers there’s a problem with their accounts, scammers then proceed to request the login and credit card information or even claim needing remote access to the customer’s computer in order to solve the apparent problem. 

Sometimes they go the extra mile and spoof numbers used by the BBB to make the scam look legitimate. 

“Once you press one, you open yourselves up to whatever it is they’re wanting from you, your personal information, your Social Security, your bank, your driver’s license,” Wilson told KFSN, as reported by the Kansas City Star. 

But identifying a scam likely call might be easy if people know how the real Amazon company usually proceeds. 

According to the company’s website, Amazon never requests personal information like the Social Security number, tax ID, bank account number, credit card information or asks personal questions, such as a password, through emails, text messages or calls. 

Also, the company has said they never ask for a payment outside of their website and they certainly don’t ask for remote access to a device. 

The BBB has warned people to take this into consideration even when the call seems urgent or requires immediate action. “Scammers often create a sense of urgency in an effort to get their targets to act before they can think,” reports the Kansas City Star. 

So if you receive a call of that nature, report it to Amazon customer service or file a report at BBB.org/ScamTracker.