Amazon Prime Day warning as scammers to target shoppers with fake deals

dailyrecord.co.uk:

Shoppers buying Amazon Prime Day deals this week have been urged to stay vigilant as scammers take advantage of the annual sale.Advice Direct Scotland, which runs the national consumer advice service consumeradvice.scot, said fraudsters are increasingly using new tactics to target households.Amazon Prime Day returns from Tuesday, July 11 and runs until Wednesday, July 12, with hundreds of items discounted from technology to household appliances.Bargain hunters have been encouraged to stay safe while shopping online and remain cautious of fake deals presented through phishing emails and texts.Criminals are hoping to lure in victims with deals that are too good to be true and steal their money and personal information.

Scammers regularly impersonate Amazon in emails, alerting recipients about issues with their account.One message states a temporary hold has been placed on the account and pending orders cancelled due to incorrect billing information.

The recipient is instructed to click a link to "verify their account" within three days to prevent further order cancellations.Another scam email claims an expired payment method for Amazon Prime membership and asks the recipient to update their payment details by following a provided link.Advice Direct Scotland said it is important to avoid clicking unverified links and contact Amazon directly for help.Some criminals use "brushing scams" to steal identities by sending unexpected packages.

If you receive an unordered package, it may be a brushing scam aimed at inflating review ratings and compromising personal data.Opening the package could indicate a fake account was created in your name, with a fraudulent review posted to boost the seller's ratings.