There’s a phishing scam email currently being sent to tens of thousands of Amazon.com customers in the US, Australia, and UK, and it’s attempting to trick people into giving up all their information. This is the busiest shopping period of the year. Many people are making purchases on the fly, myself included, and the confirmation emails from Amazon are piling up like those beer cans in my garage which I forget to recycle each week.
I’m not saying that you specifically are absent-minded this time of year, but when an email pops up in your inbox saying there’s been a problem with your Amazon order and it looks totally legit then the stress of Christmas shopping might outweigh your discerning eye. It’s easy to fall for these scams around Christmas because of the stress of getting all the presents ordered, wrapped, and under the tree by the morning of December 25th, and that’s exactly what these phishing scammers are seeking to take advantage of.
Here’s what you need to watch out for, via The Independent UK:
Cyber criminals have targeted Amazon customers with a “convincing” new phishing scam that aims to steal shoppers’ bank details.
A spoof email has been sent to thousands of people in the UK, US, and Australia saying their “Amazon.com order cannot be shipped” — just as a larger number of people than usual log on to the site to make purchases in the run-up to Christmas.
According to consumer rights groups, the message claims there is a problem processing the recipient’s order, adding that they will not be able to access their Amazon account or place any other orders until they confirm their information by following a link.
The link leads to an “authentic-looking” page, which asks the victim to confirm their name, address, and bank card information.
Amazon is getting out ahead of this problem and they’ve set up a HELP PAGE for anyone who believes they’ve received a potential Phishing email, and they’ve listed some things to look out for if you receive an email from Amazon regarding a problem with one of your purchases/orders.
Here’s a list of three things AMAZON WILL NEVER ASK YOU, so if you’re on a website and it appears to be Amazon but they are asking you these questions then you’ve clicked through on a phishing scam:
Amazon.com will never ask you for the following information in an e-mail communication:
1. Your bank account information, credit card number, PIN number, or credit card security code (including “updates” to any of the above)
2. Your mother’s maiden name or other information to identify you (such as your place of birth or your favorite pet’s name)
3. Your Amazon.com password
These, above all, are what you should watch out for. If a website’s asking you for this information you need to peace the fuck out of there as fast as possible.
Here is some more information, via Amazon, on what to look out for when attempting to decide if an email’s a scam/spoof or if it’s legit:
Suspicious e-mails not from Amazon.com often contain:
An order confirmation for an item you didn’t purchase or an attachment to an order confirmation
Note: Go to Your Orders to see if there is an order that matches the details in the e-mail. If it doesn’t match an order in Your Account, the message isn’t from Amazon.Requests for your Amazon.com username and/or password, or other personal information
Requests to update payment information
Note: Go to Your Account and click Manage Payment Options in the Payments section. If you aren’t prompted to update your payment method on that screen, the message isn’t from Amazon.Links to websites that look like Amazon.com, but aren’t Amazon
Attachments or prompts to install software on your computer
Typos or grammatical errors
Forged e-mail addresses to make it look like the e-mail is coming from Amazon.com
You bros are smart, and you know that you should be wary of many things you see on the Internet. I’d hate to see any of you get scammed this Christmas season, so watch out for these bullshit phishing scams and don’t fall for them! And if you think your parents or relatives might be susceptible to these scams you should definitely share this article with them as well, don’t let them fall victim!
(h/t The Independent)