Theresa Payton, CEO of Fortalice Solutions, a cybersecurity consultancy in Charlotte, North Carolina, suggests that consumers consider using one credit card for all online purchases, to be better able to spot potential fraud. Never give a stranger remote access to your computer, since the person can “wreak havoc and steal your personal information,” Nofziger warns.Īt Censys, an Ann Arbor, Michigan–based internet security firm, IT manager Mike Toole says con artists who pose as Amazon Prime customer support or Amazon security team members often use phishing emails or spoofed caller ID numbers. Don't always believe what appears on caller ID, since calls can be spoofed.For your credit card, use a customer-service number on the back of the card or on a statement. Don't necessarily trust phone numbers that turn up during an internet search.The actual toll-free customer-service number is 888- 280-4331. Beware of phony websites and phone numbers for Amazon.The Seattle-based company, however, does not disclose the scope of the problem or whether fraud reports have increased since the pandemic-triggered boom in online buying.ĪARP's helpline reports a jump in complaints about frauds tied to online sales in April, May and June, compared with earlier in the year, Nofziger says. Amazon won't detail scope of the problemĪmazon, an online behemoth with $281 billion in sales in 2019, has long been an attractive target for fraudsters. The crooks are playing on people's anxiety while hiding behind the credibility of Amazon's brand, she adds. She says the dismay and distraction people feel amid blaring headlines about the coronavirus are what scammers count on as they lie, cheat and steal. Regrettably, that money is probably gone for good, says Amy Nofziger, AARP director of Fraud Victim Support, who oversees the helpline. She bought gift cards worth $13,300 and revealed their numbers. The caller told her she had to buy gift cards to claim codes to reestablish her account. Her caller ID displayed Apple Mobile Support. A third woman received an alert on Messenger that said her Amazon account had been compromised and she needed to call a certain phone number.She declined and reported the incident to the FBI's Internet Complaint Center. The email said her account was locked but could be unlocked - and the money refunded - if she sent her address and complete credit or debit card number. She had not made the charge, and the alert came from an email address ending in “.ng,” signifying Nigeria. A second woman received a phishing email July 21 from “Amazon Security Team.” The email, featuring Amazon's logo, said a charge of $732 had been processed on her account.A woman received an email purporting to be from Amazon and responded by revealing her Social Security and credit card numbers and giving a stranger remote access to her computer and iPad.Here are more recent Amazon-related frauds reported to AARP's fraud helpline. He also went to his bank to have his account monitored, called his credit card issuer so that purchases on his card could be monitored and took his computer to a bona fide expert for a cleanup. As instructed, he refused to pay one red cent to the con artist. That prompted the victim to call AARP's toll-free F raud Watch Network Helpline, 87. The swindler said payment could be made only by money order. Still, the man chose a $999 “lifetime” option, in hopes of resolving the hacking situation for good. The fraudster, from a distance, even arranged for an authentic-looking receipt to be printed on the retiree's printer.

“He never answered my questions to my satisfaction.' 'I asked, ‘What government agency has oversight over you?’ “ the retiree says. But when the phony Amazon rep transferred him to the computer company, he heard a voice that sounded identical to that of the original fraudster. The victim, who spoke to AARP and asked that his name not be used, chose one of the suggested companies. To rectify the situation, the retiree was told, he could use one of two preferred companies to prevent more computer intrusions and get back the information that the hackers may have obtained. She couldn't reset her password, either.Ī relative went online for an Amazon customer-service phone number and when the retiree called it, he was told that a $4,800 television had been charged to the account, which reportedly had been hacked by more than 40 people in Mexico. A retired educator, he says his wife placed an order for two iPhone cases on, but when she tried to log back into her account, she couldn't. En español | A fake phone number for almost tripped up an 81-year-old man from West Virginia.

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