Amazon "Prime Account Report" Email Scam Alert
❗ Amazon scam alert ❗
The holidays are approaching, and folks are making more purchases online. Scammers take this opportunity to do what they do: try to trick you into giving up your money or personal information. Be on the lookout for scam emails from seemingly-reputable organizations, like the one below that a BCT employee recently received.
At first glance, it looks like a legitimate alert about recent updates to the Amazon account that couldn't be applied, and now the account is locked. The message urges the recipient to log in and confirm the updated information to secure the account. It even includes a big orange "Sign In" button in the middle of the email.
While it appears at first glance to be fairly authentic, this email is a prime example of a phishing scam. Phishing is when a message is designed to trick you into clicking on a link or downloading an attachment that could install harmful malware on your device or steal your personal information.
The image below shows the message's red flags that also commonly appear in other messages similar to this one.
1. Watch for grammar mistakes throughout. This is a common occurrence in scam emails. Also, stop and think about what the message says. The BCT employee did not make any account changes recently, so there is reason to be suspicious.
2. The message creates a sense of urgency to take an action. The scammer wants to you react quickly rather than stop and think about the legitimacy of the message.
3. The message again provides a sense of urgency.
4. The last sentence of the first paragraph refers to multiple accounts, but the first sentence mentions only one account. Watch for detail slip-ups like these.
5. There is an enticing large button that says "Sign-In." Legitimate organizations will never ask you to clink on a link or a button to sign in to your account or to verify account information. This is a definite red flag.
If you need to make changes to your account or verify that information is correct, never click on a link or button in a message like the one above. Instead, navigate to the organization's website and log in to your account manually. That way, you know the website you're visiting is the real deal.
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