Amazon's big warning to 220m Prime members as scam sweeps US: Your account is under attack if you see this message

Amazon Prime customers have been warned about phishers sending fake Amazon correspondence. Scammers, in these Prime membership scams, are impersonating Amazon to target users and steal personal information such as security numbers, bank information or Amazon account details.

In an email sent earlier this month, Amazon said there has been an increase in reports about fake emails, and over two-thirds o scams claimed to be related to order or account issues. “Scammers who attempt to impersonate Amazon put consumers at risk,” Dharmesh Mehta, Amazon’s vice president of Selling Partner Services, said in the notice.

“Although these scams take place outside our store, we will continue to invest in protecting consumers and educating the public on how to avoid scams.”

Pieter Arntz, a malware intelligence researcher at Malwarebytes, has issued a timely July 16 reminder that “scammers are impersonating Amazon in a Prime membership scam.”

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What are the red flags about Amazon scammers?

Amazon admits that such attacks are not easy to identify. But it recommends that users be alert to certain red flags that can indicate this kind of attack methodology.

-Attackers will often create a false sense of urgency and leverage this to entice a knee-jerk reaction, such as clicking a link or providing account information.

-Attackers will oftentimes ask for personal information, as well as the aforementioned account credentials, that a genuine caller or member of Amazon support staff would not. These may include, but are not limited to, payment and banking information.

-Attackers may, as I mentioned earlier, suggest that you have made a high-ticket item order so as to leverage the urgency and require you to follow a link to cancel it.

Attackers may attempt to get you to make payments outside of legitimate Amazon channels, including third-party sites and wire transfers, or even by way of gift cards.

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These new “Amazon refund scam texts” have surged “more than 50 times in the past two weeks" and the scale of text attacks sweeping the US and Europe is “out of control.” “The link in the message leads to a fake Amazon site designed to steal your account details and hack it," reports Forbes.

The attackers assume you will have made a recent purchase on Amazon and who doesn’t want an unexpected refund? The link is a short-code to beat Amazon’s other warning to watch for misspelled URLs.

In case you receive the text, delete it immediately per the advice from the FBI and state and local police forces. If you have any doubts, log into your Amazon account using your app or usual methods and check there.

Text message scams have exploded into a billion-message industry, fueled by organized criminal networks—many operating from China and outside the reach of US law enforcement. While telecom providers block many suspicious messages, fraudsters now rely on vast “SIM farms” of regular phones to evade detection and slip through filters.

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How is Amazon educating its customers?

If a user enters their credentials on the fake page, the scammer captures them—and can then access not only the real Amazon site but any other account that uses the same username and password. In some cases, the counterfeit login screen even requests payment details and other sensitive data, which all go straight to the fraudster.

To help customers stay safe, Amazon has rolled out a secure-email feature for people who use Gmail, Yahoo! and other popular providers. When an authentic Amazon message arrives, you’ll see the familiar smile‑logo icon in your inbox.

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Amazon also offers these key tips for avoiding scams:

• Always verify that you’re on Amazon’s official app or website before making a purchase.
  
  
• Remember: Amazon will never request payment information by phone or email.
  
  
• Beware of messages creating a false sense of urgency or demanding gift‐card payments.
  
  
• If you ever have doubts about a request or transaction, contact Amazon directly.