Detecting Amazon Scams and What You Can Do About It

With advancing technology, so too advances the strategies of scammers. Here we’ll discuss how scammers are using Amazon, and how to detect one.

Amazon: A Place For Deals and Steals Alike

Amazon has proven itself to be a true digital giant, reaching a global brand value of 705.65 billion dollars as of 2022. In this day and age, however, such a value works to shock very little amongst those who use their service. Amazon is an extremely efficient and user-friendly marketplace that has come to be heavily used and even relied upon by some individuals and businesses. Always showing signs of growth, Amazon works every year to provide more and more customers with a massive selection of items from all over the world. However, with increased use of the site, scammers have become privy to the dependence placed upon Amazon, and have reworked old strategies to exploit and abuse the information and senses of others.

Thankfully, inexperienced or untalented scammers often show warning signs in their approaches, and the biggest of said flaws can be seen as:

• Relatively low and faulty grammar
• An email unassociated with Amazon
• A request that one might provide payment outside of Amazon
• A request for access to one’s personal device might be given
• Any messages the user does not expect to see.

If any of these mistakes are detected, it would be best to contact Amazon’s customer support services or ignore the message altogether. No request should be granted without first checking to ensure oneself that the origin is in fact Amazon instead of an independent party that is trying to pretend to be Amazon.

The Many Ways Scammers Work to Trick the Consumer

Although one might not believe it to be so, scammers have a plethora of tools and tricks at their disposal in an attempt to fool the common Amazon user. As seen since its conception, Amazon has employed a diverse set of systems, functions, and features for its users to enjoy. Unfortunately, this diverse set also gives scammers a great variety of approaches to consider when conning the common consumer. No system is completely safe from the grasp of a talented hacker, and the many tools Amazon uses for itself can be twisted to hurt those simply looking for a good deal. Below are some of the most common methods used when vying to successfully pull off a scam.

The “Suspicious Activity Call”

An old tactic renovated to fool those in the modern world, this method involves a robotic individual claiming to be a “consultant” or some other position involved with Amazon calling you directly. In these calls, the voice on the other side of the line will inform you that something suspicious has occurred on your account. Some common “suspicious activities” might include an unusual order, missing package, or a login-in attempt made outside your country of residence. After relaying such information, you may be prompted to take action in some way through various methods such as pressing a suggested number on the number pad or visiting some other website. As with the rest of the scams on this list, never follow directions until it is confirmed that who you are speaking to is truly from the Amazon company.

Winning an Unsuspected Prize

Another classic, the old “You’ve won a prize!” scam is still running strong even in this day and age. Like before, an individual posing as someone connected to Amazon will either message or call you claiming to be bearing the news that a prize has been won. Then, following that message, you will often be prompted to click a link to claim said prize. Clicking on the provided link almost always directly leads to one’s personal information being stolen. Instead, contact Amazon services to make sure the message is legitimate and can be fully trusted.

Fake Listings, Reviews, and Order Confirmations

This time using Amazon’s own internal features, charlatans of the digital space have created whole new ways of deceiving the public within Amazon itself. Although there are indeed many great deals to find on Amazon, some can just seem too good to be true. In some cases, having that sentiment would be correct. However, one might be quick to note that with customer reviews, such a scam can be avoided with a simple glance at the review section. While this is usually the case, crafty scammers will hire others to buy the product and send it to a random individual for a fake review.

Taking the Right Steps

The absolute best way to check for scams is to directly contact Amazon for confirmation. This way one is given complete reassurance that the messages or offers they are receiving won’t work to briskly con them. Amazon is a large company, and so too is their support staff, something like an email response should be received around a timeframe of 48 hours. Additionally, calls and even messaging Amazon have also accepted channels of communication.

Another good way to avoid scams is to separate one’s personal information. A great way to do this is to rent a U.S.-based phone number. By doing so, you can use the non-VoIP phone number when creating accounts, as well as for regular calling. This way, scammers may find it more difficult to reach you if they have somehow gotten a hold of your phone number through any account that requires it. Another great advantage for those living outside of the United States is full access to U.S.-based services such as Netflix and much more. When buying from reliable and safe providers such as Tardigrada.io, one can that their own information is guarded securely, while also being able to use their phone number with the most freedom possible. Running into Amazon scams is often unavoidable, but with the knowledge provided in this piece, one should be more aware of the tactics scammers are using and how to snuff them out upon sight.