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Watch out for Fake Amazon emails doing the rounds

Watch out for Fake Amazon emails

It seems like pretty much every well known brand has had an issue with scams recently. The latest one doing the rounds features well known global commerce giant, Amazon. Action Fraud have just warned us to be on the lookout after receiving several reports from victims receiving convincing emails claiming to be from Amazon. One customer lost £750. Luckily they were refunded the full amount by their bank Nationwide. Others may not be so lucky.

Firstly guys – this is not new. Recently we told you about a Belfast woman who was scammed out of £900 after attempting to book a European break.

In previous blog posts I have highlighted the old adage ‘if it’s too good to be true – then it probably is’ but unfortunately more and more people are still being scammed out of their hard earned money. The cyber criminals behind these crimes know no boundaries and as technology advances so do they, using ever more sophisticated ways to make their methods as convincing as possible.

In this latest phishing scam, emails from ‘[email protected]’ claim recipients have made an order online and mimic an automatic customer email notification. The emails claim that the recipient has ordered something from Amazon such as a luxury watch, smart phone or speaker system. The email then goes on to say that if recipients haven’t authorised the transaction they can click on the Help Centre link to receive a full refund.

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Once the recipient clicks on the link they are taken to an authentic looking website set up by the cyber criminals and asked to confirm personal details such as name, address and bank account or card Information.

So how can you help protect yourself against these types of Scams?

That is a great question. Fortunately there are a number of steps which can be taken to help avoid becoming a victim of this type of scam:

• Be vigilant – these scams are happening. Pay attention to the emails you’re receiving. Even if you think it’s coming from a trusted retail brand. There are a number of clues you can look for in the email itself – these include the senders address, typos or grammatical errors, attachments or prompts to install software on your computer.
• It should always raise a red flag if you receive an email asking you to reply back with personal information such as name, address and bank account or card information. Always report these types of emails that you receive to Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040 or use the online fraud reporting tool.
• Never respond to an email message from an unknown source.
• Be careful with the personal information you are sharing online and via social networking platforms – these platforms can be a goldmine for fraudsters on the lookout for unsuspecting victims.

Remember when purchasing items online, booking holiday flights or weekend getaways to always stay within the businesses protective website and avoid paying for items outside of this.

Finally, Amazon have stated via their website ‘We take phishing and spoofing attempts on our customers very seriously. If you receive an e-mail that you think may not be from Amazon, please report it to us by sending the e-mail to [email protected]’.

It’s important to remember that Amazon and other credible sites will never ask for personal information to be sent via email. Payment should only be made through the shopping cart on the Amazon.co.uk website.

Stay Safe Online
Wayne

If you’d like more practical tips on how to protect yourself online and improve your Online Reputation grab a copy of my book..

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Posted By Wayne Denner

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Wayne Denner shares his knowledge & expertise on leading tech industry blog.

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