Scammers posing as Amazon staff took over £86,000 from UK victims in October, using phone calls that feel routine. Here is what to know and what to do.
Scammers pretending to be Amazon staff are phoning people in the UK, and it is working. Report Fraud, the UK's fraud reporting service, says criminals stole over £86,000 from victims in October alone. The calls are built to feel ordinary, which is exactly why they catch people off guard.
The caller says there are suspicious items in your Amazon basket. They may give a delivery address that has nothing to do with you. Then they say someone is trying to use your bank details to buy things without your permission. The Mirror first reported the details of the scheme. The caller then offers to stop the purchases and protect your account. That offer is the trap.
Once you are worried, the caller walks you through fake security steps. Reports describe several requests that victims have been given:
Remote access software lets another person control your computer or other device from afar. In criminal hands, it can expose personal data and allow them to make financial transactions as if they were you.
The alert is aimed at Amazon customers in the UK. Anyone who gets an unexpected call about an account problem, a delivery or a purchase they did not make could be a target. Chief Superintendent Amanda Wolf of Report Fraud Operations said any of us can be caught off guard, especially when the call appears to come from a brand we know and trust. The same approach can be used with a bank or the police as the cover story.
The steps are in the alert box above. The core idea from Report Fraud is to pause. Criminals want you to react fast. Wolf said to end the conversation, find the genuine contact details yourself and make contact independently. Amazon gave similar advice, warning that scammers create a sense of urgency and that anyone who insists you must act now deserves suspicion. Legitimate companies, banks and police officers will not unexpectedly ask you to transfer money, share sensitive financial details or give remote access to your device.
The reports do not say how many people were targeted or how many lost money. They also do not explain how the callers get phone numbers. Amazon says it wants customers to report suspected scams so it can protect their accounts and pass bad actors to law enforcement.
If an unexpected caller claims to be Amazon, your bank or the police, end the call and contact the company yourself using details you look up.
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