COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — Scammers impersonate all sorts of businesses, but according to the Federal Trade Commission, Amazon is a clear favorite.
From July 2020 through June 2021, the FTC reports that one in three people who reported a business impersonator said the scammer claimed to be from Amazon. Reported losses totaled more than $27 million dollars.
To keep that number from growing, Amazon is sending out a message to customers, listing four ways to identify scams and keep your personal information safe.
1. Don’t feel pressured to give someone information over the phone
Steven Pope, founder of My Amazon Guy, said that’s especially true if you aren’t expecting the call.
“Don’t give them your social security number; don’t give them the last four digits of your credit card number; don’t even tell them where you live,” Pope said. “There’s no reason for this.”
2. Never make a payment over the phone
Amazon said it will never ask a customer to provide payment information over the phone.
“If somebody called you to say ‘Hey, there’s a problem, there’s this fraudulent charge, I need you to read back your credit card number to me,’ that just doesn’t make sense, doesn’t smell quite right,” Pope said. “I might have a problem with that one.”
3. Only trust Amazon-owned channels
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