[email protected] email scam

thinkmoney

Financial Crime

We're conscious of cybercrime now more than ever. You might change your passwords regularly, install anti-virus software on your devices, or check your statements for any unfamiliar transactions.

This awareness of scams is something that fraudsters are taking advantage of with their new fake Amazon email scam. The con sees fraudsters send an automatic customer email notification as though the recipient made an order online. 

To make sure you don't fall for a scam like this, we're taking you through what to look out for.

The emails

The spoof emails come from the "[email protected]" email address and they claim that the receiver has made an online order. Some of the emails state that customers have ordered an expensive vintage chandelier, while others report the purchase as Bose stereos, iPhones, cameras and luxury watches.

It’s easy to fall for this scam as the email looks authentic and features the Amazon logo. It also includes details of the order, the address it is going to and the product. It then goes onto say that if the recipient of the email hasn't authorised it, they can click on the help centre link to receive a full refund.

This link takes anyone that clicks on it to an authentic-looking website, which asks victims to confirm their name, address and bank card information. One victim put in his banking details and fraudsters took £750 out of his account. The victim told his bank, they cancelled his card and he received a full refund.

What does Amazon say?

Amazon is aware of this scam and says that it will never ask you for personal information via email. It confirms that suspicious emails will often contain the following.

• Links to fake Amazon websites.

• Attachments or prompts to install software on your computer.

• Typos or grammatical errors.

• A fake email address to make it look as though the email is coming from Amazon.

This isn't the first Amazon scam that customers have received in recent months – read our blog to find out about the amazon order phishing scam.

How do I protect myself?

It's important that you know how to spot a scam like this – remember the following tips.

• Check the true sender of an email by clicking on the address bar. If the email is from a Hotmail or Gmail account, you should be suspicious.

• Never open attachments included in unsolicited emails. Use your mouse to hover over the link to reveal the true destination of the hyperlink. The genuine URL address will show up in the bottom left-hand corner of your screen.

• Make sure that you have up-to-date anti-virus and security updates installed on your devices. There are some free programmes available including AVG, Panda Security and Avira.

• Get in touch with the company in question. They should be able to tell you if there is an order in your name.

And most importantly, trust your instinct – if there's something that doesn't seem right, it probably isn't.

You can report a cybercrime to ActionFraud using their online reporting tool and receive a police crime reference number.

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