A new scam is making its rounds.
Fraudsters pretend to be Amazon employees and want to steal sensitive data.
This is how you recognize the spoofing scam.
Munich – Especially in the digital age, it is very easy to fall for scams.
There are phishing e-mails that pretend to consumers that they have won something or alleged eBay buyers who rip off sellers.
Consumer advocates regularly warn of new scams.
This time the focus is on Amazon.
Increasingly, consumers are receiving calls from criminals posing as Amazon employees.
They want to receive sensitive customer data or ask the person called to install software on their computer.
Amazon scam: Don't fall for fake Amazon employees
The Austrian portal Watchlist Internet
warned of the new spoofing scam
.
Consumers are being called on their phones by alleged Amazon employees.
They say on the phone that there is a problem with the Amazon account.
The numbers often look real.
In reality, most of the calls come from a call center abroad.
The ads are manipulated.
This deception is also called “spoofing”.
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Scammers posing as Amazon employees.
(icon picture)
© Julian Stratenschulte/dpa
The call asks customers to share personal information or make payments.
The portal also reports that in some cases customers are asked to install remote maintenance software such as TeamViewer.
This allows the scammers to gain access to private devices.
The criminals justify the necessity of the software by saying that it enables them to better help customers with their problems.
Amazon scam: Company will never ask you for sensitive information
The problem is that the reasons for the call mostly ring plausible, "especially if you're actually expecting an Amazon package," according to
Watchlist Internet
.
But if you get a call like this, you should definitely hang up.
You can recognize fraudulent e-mails or calls by the fact that sensitive data is requested from you.
Amazon will never ask you for your passwords or bank details by email, phone or SMS.
In addition, the company never asks you to make unexpected payments or update payment information, as Amazon informs on its website.
And Amazon won't ask you to install programs that allow remote access to your device.
Fallen For Amazon Scam: Here's What You Can Do
If you have fallen for the scammers,
Watchlist Internet
advises you to act immediately.
Have you shared bank details or approved payments?
Then contact your bank urgently.
The employees know what to do in such cases.
If you have shared passwords, you should change them quickly.
Installed programs must be removed so that scammers can no longer cause damage.
If you suspect that the fraudsters have installed spy software, the device must be reset.
You can report the case to Amazon.
For this purpose, the company has set up an email address to which you can send your experiences: stop-spoofing@amazon.com.
In most cases, a police report is advisable.
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List of rubrics: © Julian Stratenschulte/dpa