Action Fraud has warned about a scam in which fraudsters have pretended to be from Amazon
Action Fraud has warned members of the public about a scam which has been in operation, in which fraudsters have pretended to be from Amazon.
Between October 1, 2019 and January 16, 2020, the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau (NFIB) identified 571 reports of Amazon Prime-related Computer Software Service Fraud.
This kind of scam has seen fraudsters steal a huge £1million from victims.
The impact of these scams can no doubt be devastating, meaning many people may want to do everything they can in order to reduce the risk of falling victim themselves, should they be targeted.
Action Fraud has shared some details about the scam, which involves victims receiving an automated call, which informs them they have been charged for an Amazon Prime subscription.
The individual is then instructed to press the number one on their keypad in order to cancel the supposed transaction.
Upon doing this, the victim is directed to a fraudster who is posing as an Amazon customer service representative.
The fraudster then claims that the subscription was purchased fraudulently, and that remote access to their computer is necessary in order to fix a security flaw that will prevent it from reoccurring.
They are then told to download a remote access application. This is often the “Team Viewer” app, and this grants the fraudster access to their computer.
Then, the criminal can mis-use the software and monitor the victim logging onto their online bank account – allowing them to see the victim’s personal and financial details.
There are other tacts of this crime, and this includes fraudsters stating that the recipient is eligible for a refund following an “unauthorised transaction” on their Amazon account.
A spokesperson for Amazon told Express.co.uk, we take phishing and spoofing attempts on our customers seriously, and will never call a customer for payment outside of our website. If a customer has concerns or receives a call they believe is not from Amazon, they can check the Amazon.co.uk help pages for guidance.
Amazon said, customers should never provide personal or financial information to unsolicited callers, or ask them to take any actions on their Amazon account.
Customers can also report fraudulent activity to Citizens Advice or Action Fraud.
In the guide on security and privacy, Amazon UK explains that fraudsters may impersonate the company in order to access information.
The online retailer also says that “from time to time” a person may receive emails purporting to come from Amazon.co.uk however they have not actually come from an actual Amazon.co.uk accounts.
Rather, these may be from scammers who are attempting to convince individuals to reveal sensitive information.