Amazon is the most popular platform for scammers

According to the Federal Trade Commission ( FTC), Amazon has become a favorite platform for scammers. From July 2020 to June 2021, about a third of whistleblowers claimed that the scammers came from Amazon . During this period, reports of people impersonating Amazon increased more than fivefold , with total reported losses exceeding $27 million and a median individual loss of $1,000.

It is understood that these imposters will attract users ' attention through the information on their Amazon accounts . If users call the number provided by the scammers , they will remotely access the user's computer or mobile phone, claiming to solve the problem and refund the money. The scammers will then say that they have refunded the user too much money and hope that the user will refund the difference . They even claim that Amazon will fire them if they do not refund the money.

According to reports, in order to make users trust them more, the scammers visited people's online banks. They transferred money from one account to another. Then, when the user saw a large deposit in the account, they mistakenly thought it was a refund and returned the so-called "excess money" as the scammers said .

On the other hand, scammers will tell people to buy gift cards and send a picture of the numbers on the back. Scammers may call these numbers "block codes" or "security codes" and explain that sharing them will stop hackers, but in reality it is these codes that steal your information.

According to reports, another common scam method is text messages. Scammers will say that users have won a prize draw for free products from Amazon. People who click on the link to claim the free prize must enter their credit card information to pay for the "shipping fee", and the result is predictable.

The FTC report said that in the past year, people aged 60 and over were one of the main targets of scammers, more than four times as many as younger people. Older people reported more losses, with a median loss of $1,500, compared to $814 for those under 60.

The FTC also reminds users that if they receive similar calls and text messages, they must be vigilant to avoid being deceived.

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