Silvana Saldisuri
08/12/2021 6:01 AM
Clarín.com
Services
Updated 08/12/2021 6:01 AM
Amazon
is the world's largest online shopping platform.
Its
earnings
exceeded $
386 billion in 2020
and it has 200 million subscribers to its Amazon Prime service in the United States alone.
And that's just a fraction of the entire customer base it serves around the world.
It is this large volume of shoppers that attracts cybercriminals looking to make money by scamming unsuspecting victims with various fraud models.
Scammers use
various methods
, in that sense the Head of the ESET Latin America Research Laboratory,
Camilo Gutiérrez Amaya
warned that when making purchases online, the proverb “trust, but verify” is still valid.
Most scams can be avoided by being vigilant and vigilant.
Here are the five most common forms of scam:
1. Phishing emails about fake purchase orders:
They refer to
identity theft hoaxes
through social engineering in which scammers seek to deceive people and make them believe that it is a legitimate communication- The ultimate goal is to steal personal information from victims or access their account credentials .
This type of deception is known as
phishing
and generally reaches victims through
, but also through messages on other social platforms.
Here's how it works: Scammers send fraudulent email as legitimate from Amazon, related to shipping a product or requesting to verify account details.
What to watch out for:
For example, a
purchase
confirmation
that has not been made.
The intention is for the user to click on various links that may redirect to a site that looks similar to the official Amazon login page;
however, upon logging in, the credentials will have been given to the scammer.
Cybercriminals seek to make money by scamming unsuspecting victims with various scam models.
Photo: AP
Alternatively, clicking on the link or attachment included in the email could download malware (a malicious program) onto the device, such as the
Emotet Trojan
, which downloaded software to collect access credentials for all services used.
“In these cases there are several signals that allow us to warn that it is a phishing attempt. If the email contains
typos
,
grammatical
errors,
or an
attachment
, it is most likely a
scam.
For example, when receiving a link it is recommended to verify it and hover over the link (without clicking) to see which is the address behind the hyperlink, "he explained.
"If it is, for example," something.amazon.com ", it will be necessary to verify that" something "corresponds to one of the many valid Amazon subdomains, such as pay.amazon.com or www.amazon.com. Yes It is suspected that you are being a victim of identity theft, you have to
communicate directly with Amazon
to check the information, ”explained Gutiérrez Amaya.
2. Gift card scams:
In this case, the scammers use different strategies to convince their victims in order to trick them into buying and sending Amazon gift cards.
What to watch out for:
Victims may receive an
unsolicited email
or
phone call
that refers to an urgent problem related to their personal data or benefits and that, in order to solve it, it is necessary to pay a fine for the use of
gift cards
.
Alternatively, victims can be told that a family member is in trouble and needs financial help, always alluding to an emergency.
These scams can be detected quite easily as Amazon will never ask for a fine or penalty to be paid with a gift card.
As for the rest of the scenarios, to verify the claims you only have to
contact the person
requesting the gift card to check the order.
And
contact Amazon
through official communication channels.
Amazon is the world's largest online shopping platform.
Photo: AFP
3. Fake job offers on Amazon
In this case, the scam comes through a call from an unknown number with a
job offer at Amazon
.
While it may sound strange, the idea of working from home, with flexible hours and a dollar salary, may be tempting and confusing.
That's when they notice that there is an
application fee
that must be paid with an Amazon gift card.
There it will be necessary to cut the communication since the company
announces the vacancies on its website
and does not charge for the privilege of sending the application.
Another version of this scam invites the person to write
reviews about products
on Amazon
in exchange for money
.
Victims are redirected to a bogus website, where any information they enter will fall into the hands of the scammers.
4. Very generous payment scams and offers
Payment scams seek to obtain bank account information and / or money.
One tactic that is often used is trying to
convince the user to pay outside
of Amazon's secure platform.
Criminals will try to attract the potential victim in various ways.
What to watch out for:
For example, they usually offer a
discount
if you pay outside the platform.
However, if the victim does give in, the most likely result is that the money is lost and the product never arrives.
And, in addition, you will not be able to file a complaint with Amazon, since you made the payment outside the limits of its platform.
Other forms of payment scams that are often seen are, for example, those that request
make a
payment in order to claim a prize
that you purportedly won or pay a vendor whose identity cannot be verified.
In this sense, ESET always recommends
doubting offers
that are too good to be true or those that appear
suspicious
and advise staying within the Amazon platform for all orders and payments.
Even
the company itself warns about the risks
of sending money outside the limits of its platform: “Do not send money (in cash, bank transfer, Western Union, PayPal, MoneyGram or other means, including Amazon Payments) to a seller who claims that Amazon or Amazon Payments will guarantee the transaction, refund your funds if you are not satisfied with the purchase or keep your funds in custody. "
5. Suspicious phone calls
Scammers
sometimes
turn to
more “analog” means
to try to deceive their victims: fake support calls. The content of these calls can vary, however, they are often pre-recorded messages impersonating Amazon stating that it has registered something wrong with your account or indicating something that would arouse the interest of the potential victim (a suspicious purchase, etc.) .
What to watch out for:
Based on a warning issued by the US Federal Trade Commission, the message will inform you to press '1' to speak to a customer service agent or
give you a number to call back
.
If a conversation does strike, the scammers are most likely trying to obtain sensitive data, such as personal information, or payment details.
Scammers also turn to more “analog” means to try to deceive their victims.
Photo: Shutterstock
The recommendation in this case is to contact Amazon through the official channels detailed in the
support section of their website
and check if it is something suspicious.
The company recognizes that, in some cases, it can make outbound calls, but will never ask customers to reveal sensitive personal information to verify their identity.
In short, if you receive an unexpected email, be careful, verify its origin,
and never disclose sensitive personal information
to anyone claiming to be a "customer service representative or agent."
And in all cases, contact Amazon to report the fact through official communication channels.
LN
Look also
Mercado Libre and Mercado Pago: 10 basic precautions to avoid being scammed when buying or selling
Not knowing a purchase with a credit card: step by step how to make a claim
Buy now and pay later: how to do it in installments and without credit cards