Scammers posing as Amazon staff are phoning shoppers and talking them into handing over control of their devices. Victims lost over £86,000 in October alone.
A phone call from "Amazon" about strange items in your basket may be a trap. Report Fraud, the UK fraud reporting service, says scammers took more than £86,000 from victims in October alone. The callers sound official and sound urgent. Their real goal is to get you to give them access to your device and your money.
Until now, many Amazon scams arrived as emails or text messages. This one comes as a phone call. The caller says suspicious items have been added to your Amazon basket. They may give a delivery address that is not yours. Then they say someone is trying to use your bank details to make purchases you did not approve.
Next comes the offer of help. The caller says there is a way to stop the transactions and protect your account. That is the real danger point.
Victims are given a series of fake security instructions. These can include sharing their screen through a messaging app. They can also include handing over a passport or driving licence, supposedly to verify who they are.
Some victims are told to download remote access software. This is a type of program that lets another person see and control your computer or phone from afar. Once it is installed, criminals can reach personal information and make financial transactions.
The warnings so far come from the UK and focus on Amazon customers. But the method is not limited to one company. Chief Superintendent Amanda Wolf, who heads Report Fraud Operations, said the caller might claim to be from Amazon, your bank, the police or any other organization. Anyone who shops online or gets an unexpected call from a known name could be a target.
She also explained why it works: "Fraudsters are increasingly successful when they can make their approach feel ordinary." A call about an account issue or a delivery problem can catch anyone off guard.
The steps in the alert box above cover what to do during and after a call. The key idea is to pause. Legitimate companies, banks and police officers will not call you out of the blue and ask you to move money, share sensitive financial details or give remote access to your device. Ending the call is always safe.
Amazon says it wants to hear about suspected scams. Its spokesperson said reports help the company protect accounts and pass bad actors to law enforcement.
The reports do not say how many people have been targeted or how many victims lost money. They also do not say whether the calls are spreading beyond the UK.
If someone calls claiming to be Amazon, your bank or the police and pushes you to act, hang up and call the company yourself using details you look up.
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