Amazon issues impersonation scam warning to UK customers

The tech giant has reportedly initiated takedowns of 10,000 dodgy phone numbers and 20,000 phishing websites.

The major retailer has also said that it has reported hundreds of suspected scammers to police forces around the world.

The news comes after a warning issued by consumer champions Which? over a recent scam which involves fraudsters impersonating Amazon as means of gaining access to victims' devices and stealing their personal information.

Amazon customers are being warned over the rise of impersonation scams. ( Canva) (Image: Canva)

In response to the rising number of scams, Amazon has issued some top tips to its customers to help them spot and avoid this type of fraud. 

Amazon has also reaffirmed to shoppers that it will never ask for their personal information over email, the phone or via text message.

How to spot Amazon impersonation emails

Two things customers need to look for when they receive an email that appears to be from Amazon are:

• Has Amazon asked for my personal information to be supplied over e-mail?
• Has Amazon requested me to update my payment information even though it's not linked to an order I've placed or a service that I've subscribed to?

If the email has asked for either, it's not from Amazon.

Another way to spot whether the email is a scam is to check the real sender address and domain from the email header.

Amazon's emails will always come from an address that ends @amazon.co.uk (e.g. shipment-tracking@amazon.co.uk, auto-confirm@amazon.co.uk, no-reply@amazon.co.uk).

Fraudsters can easily insert a fake name despite the email being associated with a fake email address.

You should always check the email domain -it will correspond to the set of letters placed after the @sign in an email address, Amazon advises.

The retail giant added:"Fraudulent emails are designed to look like they come from Amazon, however, the email domain can never be duplicated".

Here's how to spot and avoid Amazon impersonation scams over the phone, text message and email. ( Canva) (Image: Canva)

How to spot Amazon impersonation calls

Amazon has identified three ways that you can tell that a suspicious call is not from them:

• It will never ask for payment or offer you a refund you do not expect.
• Amazon will never ask you to make a payment outside of our website (e.g. via bank transfer, e-mailing credit card details, sharing gift card details over the phone, etc.)
• The company will never ask you for remote access to your device e.g. by asking you to install an app.

How to spot Amazon impersonation texts

Addressing customers on its website, Amazon stressed that: "Smishing scams are becoming increasingly advanced."

It added: "Scam messages can be inserted into a thread of legitimate messages that you might have received from Amazon."

Despite the growing threat, Amazon has identified some things you can look out for to help stop you from falling victim to these attempts at fraud:

Fraudsters often send texts reporting a problem with your account, and they may ask you for sensitive information like passwords, or state that you are owed a refund.

Similar to calls and emails, Amazon has reaffirmed that it never asks you for your password or personal information by text message or to make a payment outside of its website through bank transfer by emailing credit card details, or installing an app.

How to report Amazon impersonation scams

Which? has shared the ways that customers can report suspected impersonation scams from Amazon, whether it's by email, text or calls.

Shoppers can report Amazon impersonation scams directly to the retailer by using its online reporting service.

Scam calls and texts

iPhone users can report scam calls by texting the word ‘call’ followed by the scam number to 7726.

Meanwhile, those who use Android devices should text the word ‘call’ to 7726.

You will then be asked for the phone number the scam was sent from.

Scam text messages can also be forwarded to 7726 to report them.

Scam emails

When it comes to scam emails, you should forward these to report@phishing.gov.uk.

To report them to your email provider, select 'Report phishing’ on Gmail or Hotmail, or from a Yahoo account you can forward emails to abuse@yahoo.com.

What to do if you fall victim to an Amazon impersonation scam

Which? advise those who are scammed to contact your bank immediately and also report it to Action Fraud online or by calling 0300 123 2040 in England, Wales or Northern Ireland.

In Scotland, you can report the scam to the police on 101.