If it feels like more scammers and spammers are flooding your various inboxes, that’s because they probably are.
Fake text messages and e-mails carrying phishing attempts by virtual scammers have been on the rise since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic. And, one of the more prevalent methods scammers have been using recently is fake messages purporting to be from an Amazon representative, who might claim to be checking in about suspicious activity on your account or even a delayed package.
Typically, these phishing or “smishing” — aka SMS phishing — attacks are aimed at tricking you into believing you are communicating with a legitimate representative of the e-commerce giant. If you’re not careful, you might over valuable personal information from your credit card information to login credentials for your online accounts, or click on malware-ridden links that infect your devices with viruses.
The Federal Trade Commission reports that U.S. consumers collectively lost roughly $5.8 billion from fraud in 2021, up 70% over the previous year. About a third of that came from imposter scams.
So, what can you do to make sure you’re not taken in by one of these increasingly prevalent spammer scams?
How to screen for scams
Don’t click any links, or share any personal information, unless you’re absolutely sure you’re actually speaking with an actual representative from Amazon, or any other legitimate company or organization.
The FTC notes that there are several tell-tale signs often…
