Beware of New Amazon Scam
The boom in online shopping seems to be the new norm and for good reason. Due to its convenience, overnight delivery and diverse selection of products; more and more of us have found ourselves making Amazon purchases almost weekly. As with anything too good to be true, customers must beware of scammers and hackers posing as Amazon workers set out to steal money and/or obtain personal information that would put oneself or others at risk. This new scam is becoming a ubiquitous trend, one that we should all be on the lookout for and know how to deflect if need be. It’s not your typical scam where someone calls offering a free stay at a 5-Star hotel. This scam is much more personal. I know this because it almost happened to a team member here at NEXTWERK!
Here’s how it goes: The scammer will call posing as Amazon customer support, telling the customer that there has been suspicious activity on their account. From there, they will tell you someone from another country has made a large purchase on your account and how they will attempt to help you solve the problem. They will have you download an app called TeamViewer and will walk you through the process which ultimately allows them access to your computer so that they can “resolve” the issue. During the process they will distract you with comments, grooming you to trust them and their assistance, all the while they are installing backdoors on your computer attempting to access important documents like bank information and even your passwords.
This is especially alarming when you are on a work computer, where important company information is stored. Scammers are quickly able to figure this out and will begin to ask odd questions regarding your company, the owner, and your relationship to the owner.
Some friendly tips:
- Amazon will never call. They will send an email directly to you, reporting the suspicious activity and linking you to support services
- These scammers will attempt to get you via email as well, ensure the email address is coming from a correct Amazon.com email address, not a Gmail account
- If you get the call, make sure the phone number matches the Amazon customer support line, if not hang up right away and block the number and call Amazon customer support to ensure there hasn’t been suspicious activity on your account
- If you hear strange background noises, this is most likely a scammer, hang up right away
Some tips in case they are able to get into your computer:
- Delete the TeamViewer app and lock the scammers out of your system
- Disconnect your wifi and any other devices connected to your computer
- Shut off your computer and restore back to factory settings
- Call your banks right away and make them aware of what has taken place, they will walk you through changing your account information
- Change all passwords
We hope that you don’t fall for this invasive scam as it can be detrimental to you and/or your business!
Until next time,
Vanessa ~
