If you have an Amazon account, don’t fall for these worrying scams.
There’s a big week ahead for Amazon shoppers with the online retail giant launching another of its huge Prime Day sale events. The discounts will start dropping from tomorrow, July 8, and will inlcude a swathe of price cuts across beauty, food, tech and more. It’s great time to go shopping but beware.
To get those deals, you’ll need a Prime account and Amazon is warning anyone who subscribes to this premium service to stay alert.
In fact, the company has just sent out emails after seeing a huge spike in Prime scams that can leave users seriously out of pocket.
“We’ve recently noticed an increase in customers reporting fake emails about Amazon Prime membership subscriptions,” Amazon confirmed.
“We want to help you stay protected by sharing important information about these scams.”
If you have Prime and get a message in your inbox make sure you take time to check it. One scary scam that’s currently landing in inboxes suggests that Prime accounts need to be renewed with users then being asked to pay more.
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Scammers have released the fake email in the hope that customers will be so annoyed by the Prime price hike they click the “cancel” button embedded within the message.
“Do not click on any links in these messages,” Amazon warned.
“Scammers use fake websites to steal your Amazon login credentials and banking information.”
Anyone who gets a message claiming that their Prime account is changing must head straight to Amazon’s website or app and simply check the “Prime” option.
Here, it’s easy to view the membership status, renewal dates, and plan details.
If you think you have already clicked on any suspicious links, you must monitor your credit/debit card statements for unfamiliar charges and contact the bank immediately about any unauthorised transactions.
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Other top tips from the firm include always accessing Amazon directly through its mobile app or by typing amazon.co.uk into a browser.
One final thing to remember is that Amazon always duplicates any messages sent out via email. That means users can head to their accounts and visit the Message Centre. This can be found under the “Your Account” option. Here it’s possible to see legitimate messages from Amazon and makes sure things in the email inbox match up. It’s also a good idea to enable two-step verification for your Amazon account through the Login & Security settings or visit amazon.co.uk/2SV.
This means nobody can access your account without getting a code first.