Amazon was the second-most frequently impersonated business in 2023. This comes as little surprise, as scammers can make big money off the volume of sales that pump through Amazon each year. Shoppers reported $19 million in losses in 2023, according to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). And that’s just what was reported. Indeed, Amazon scams can come at you from all sides. According to the company, email scams with its branding ranked as the top contact method. Phone calls posing as Amazon reps make up the second-most popular contact method, followed by text and SMS messages. Whichever contact scammers use, they always do the same thing — conjure up a feeling of urgency to trick victims into handing over account info, financial info, or both.

Types of Amazon scams

With the explosion of online shopping, Amazon has become a prime target for scammers looking to exploit unsuspecting customers. Scammers use various tactics to trick people into sharing personal information, making fraudulent payments, or compromising their accounts. Here’s a look at some of the most common types of Amazon scams:

Account issue scams

Sometimes Amazon scammers lean into a classic line: We have detected unusual activity on your account. Please get in touch with an Amazon customer service representative. Whether the scammer directs you to call or follow a link, their aim is the same. They want your info, and they’ll use an urgent message like this to steal it.

Package status scams

The urgent message says something’s wrong with your shipment. Scammers give all kinds of reasons, like it’s stuck somewhere, lost, or running late. No worries, if you hand over your account info, they can set things right — but you need to get in touch now to do it. Otherwise, you might miss the package and your money. The entire story is fake, but it looks and sounds very real.

Driver scams

You’re expecting a delivery and you get a message from someone who says they’re an Amazon driver. Only it’s not the driver. It’s a scammer who says they need help completing a delivery. With the message comes a bogus link that takes you to a phishing site that steals account and financial info.

Fraudulent purchase scams

In this scam, you get a message that someone made a fraudulent purchase with your account. If you want to resolve the matter, all you need to do is click or call. With this scam, it’s a case of double fraud. First, no one made a purchase with your account. Secondly, now the scammer wants to trick you into revealing your information. Amazon takes scams like these and others very seriously. They strongly recommend filing a report the moment you spot the Amazon scam. They’ve made the process very straightforward and you can file a scam report on the Amazon website any time.

Straight from Amazon: How to avoid scams

To help protect customers, Amazon shares clear guidelines on how to recognize and avoid common scams—from fake order confirmations to phishing emails posing as Amazon support. By following these official tips, you can shop with confidence and steer clear of fraudsters trying to take advantage.

  1. Want to find out if a message is really from Amazon? Visit the Message Center under “Your Account.” Legitimate messages from Amazon will show up there.
  2. Amazon will never ask you to provide payment info, including gift cards, or “verification cards” as some scammers call them, for products or services over the phone.
  3. Watch out for false urgency. Scammers will create a sense of urgency to persuade you to do what they’re asking. Be wary any time someone tries to convince you that you must act now.
  4. Also watch out for links with misspellings or repeated characters. Legitimate Amazon websites contain “amazon.com” or “amazon.com/support.” Go directly to Amazon when seeking help with Amazon devices, services, orders, or to make changes to your account.
  5. Wondering where your package is? You can track the progress of your deliveries via the “Your Orders” page on the website and app.
  6. Amazon recommends that you enable notifications on your mobile Amazon app. Doing so will allow Amazon to send you a push notification from the app to accompany text messages from Amazon. That can also help you confirm that a message from Amazon is real.
  7. Amazon will never ask you to share your password, account sign-in one-time password (OTP), or verify sensitive personal information over the phone. This is great advice for all your online accounts, not just Amazon.