despite of Black Friday And the Internet Mon Shoppers still come and go, and shoppers still make last-minute purchases before the holidays. Unfortunately, the holiday season is also one of the busiest times of the year for scammers.
As reported by Lance Ulanov in Tech Radar (Opens in a new tab) (who dodged this scam himself), scammers use text messaging to try to steal Amazon shoppers’ credentials.
These text messages claim that an expensive product has been ordered from the recipient’s account although the scammers also include a phone number they can call in case they think something is wrong. This creates a file sense of urgency Because shoppers don’t want to be charged for an expensive product they didn’t buy at a time when money was really tight.
While this scam first appeared in March of this year according to Beaufort County Sheriff’s OfficeIt makes sense that scammers would want to revive it during the holiday shopping season and they could do it again during other big shopping days like Prime Day. Although it is currently distributed by SMS, it can also be sent via e-mail. However, email security filters may detect that it is spam before it even reaches the inboxes of potential victims.
Amazon secure server
In Lance’s case, the scammers claimed he had ordered a $649 XGIMI Elfin Mini Projector, and since he knew it was a scam due to spelling and grammatical errors in the text message, he decided to play along in order to show him how to avoid being owned by Amazon. Stolen accounts.
Call the number in the text message above and wait for the scammer behind the campaign to respond. As the scammer explained to him that “there were multiple orders from Ohio” from his Amazon account, Lance logged into his account to see if that was indeed true. This was not the case, which is why the scammer then asked about not seeing the orders in his account. “They’re all on hold,” the scammer calmly explained even though that was clearly not true.
From here, the scammer tried to convince Lance to open the App Store and download an app called AnyDesk. However, he referred to this app as Amazon Secure Server several times during their conversation and when it came time to download it to Lance’s phone, the scammer spelled out the app letter by letter instead of saying it outright. This way, he will be less likely to fall for the scam.
For those unfamiliar, AnyDesk is actually a remote desktop A service that allows anyone to control your computer or smartphone from anywhere in the world. While it’s great for tech support or helping an older relative, it can also be misused by hackers and cybercriminals in scams like this one.
In the end, Lance told the scammer explaining exactly what he wanted to say to him letter by letter the same way the scammer tried to trick him into downloading AnyDesk to steal his Amazon account.
Lance’s story is just one example of the kinds of shopping scams that always seem to be rife during the holiday shopping season. In this case, it was the fake text message impersonating Amazon, but we’ve also seen fake texts impersonating other retailers as well Delivery scams Prey on holiday shoppers.
To avoid falling victim to this shopping scam and the like, you first need to carefully sift through any texts you receive from anonymous senders claiming to be from major brands. Are there spelling or grammatical errors? Does the text message look authentic? If there is, you can safely ignore the text and delete it. Calling any phone number listed in a suspicious text message isn’t worth doing, and as Lance did, you should log into the retailer’s website on your smartphone or computer and confirm whether or not any unknown requests have been placed from your account.
in support document (Opens in a new tab) On its site, Amazon provides more information on how to determine if an email, phone call, text message, or even a web page belongs to the e-commerce giant. The company also suggests enabling two-step verification to protect your account which is definitely worth doing for added security.
At the same time, you may also want to consider investing in one The best identity theft protection services They can help you deal with fraud as well as restore your identity. Similarly, installing a The best antivirus software The solutions on your computer plus one of the best Android antivirus apps on your smartphone can help you avoid infecting your devices with malware and other viruses.
When it comes to staying safe while shopping online, the one thing you really need to remember is not to let your emotions get the best of you. Scammers are counting on this for their own sake Phishing campaigns To be successful and if you keep your head clear, you are less likely to fall for their tricks.
