Whether it’s an email for an order that you didn’t place or someone offering a “refund” through Zelle, scams impersonating Amazon (AMZN) – Get Free Report will be a common sight this holiday season.
Online scams are on the rise in general and many are specifically tapping into the chaos around last-minute gift orders. In 2021, the e-commerce giant took down more than 20,000 phishing websites and 10,000 phone numbers being used as part of these impersonation schemes.
“While consumers should always be vigilant of potential scam communications, the holiday season is a particularly important time for consumers to be careful as they are likely shopping more and receiving more order confirmations and other communications from retailers,” Amazon’s VP of Selling Partner Services Dharmesh Mehta told TheStreet.
Mehta answered some of TheStreet’s questions about how Amazon is fighting holiday scams and what shoppers can do to avoid becoming a victim. This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
TheStreet: What are some common scams popping up on Amazon this holiday season?
Mehta: Scammers are targeting consumers with fake orders for purchases they didn’t make pretending to be Amazon. It’s the number one scam reported to us this year by our customers.
Impersonation scams happen when a scammer pretends to be a trusted company and reaches out to try to get access to sensitive information like social security numbers, bank…
