Christmas is just a couple of weeks away and that means there will now be a mad rush to buy those last-minute festive gifts. This is always one of the busiest periods for shopping but with so many of us now using online services, rather than the local high street, it makes December a prime target for cyber thieves looking to cash in on unsuspecting consumers and Amazon is a top target. Due to its massive popularity, the retailer is constantly in the sights of scammers and now is a particularly important time to be on the lookout for swindles.
In a bid to help its users avoid falling victim to online crooks, the US firm has issued an urgent warning highlighting the risks we all face right now.
According to Amazon, there are a number of tactics currently being used by hackers in a bid to steal personal data including user names, passwords and even bank details.
The most common scam uses correspondence that pretends to have come from Amazon with shoppers receiving a message that suggests they have ordered a product but confirmation is needed before it can be shipped. The scammers then try to convince customers to provide payment or bank account information or even install software on devices to complete the order.
Amazon says that anyone receiving messages regarding an order they weren’t expecting, should verify orders by logging into their Amazon account. Only legitimate purchases will appear in the order history – and Customer Service is available 24/7 to assist.
