Scammers Targeting Amazon Customers With Realistic-Looking Emails Trying To Confirm Your Address
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PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- The Better Business Bureau has a warning about an email that appears to from Amazon, but it's not.
People in Western Pennsylvania and across the country have been getting emails from scammers trying to steal your information.
"Like consumers, scammers are also gearing up for the holiday season," said Cailtin Driscoll, from the Better Business Bureau of Western Pennsylvania.
This particular email that's prompted a warning, appears to be from Amazon and says they can't confirm the address on your account.
"This scam is particularly tricky, because it uses Amazon's actual logo," said Driscoll.
It's even signed "Amazon.com Security Team." It says they've disabled the ability for anyone to log into your account to avoid misuse, and then it asks you to click on a link to update your information.
However, Driscoll says: "Clicking on the link does not lead to Amazon.com, but leads to another third party website. And if you click on it, your likely loading malware to your computer. Opening yourself up, potentially, to identity theft."
It's the not first email from scammers pretending to be Amazon. Last year, KDKA-TV reported on one that claimed there was a problem with your order and gave you a phony link to straighten it out.
Three years ago, we did what you never should: We clicked on the link of a similar Amazon scam email with the help of KDKA's resident computer expert John Yurkovich.
"They make it look exactly like the real site," said Yurkovich.
But with some detective work, he was able to discover that phony email came from Ecuador.
As for the current scam, the real Amazon has advice on its website that can help sort out what's real and what's not. Perhaps, most useful is a video that says in part: "Amazon never asks for personal information via email."
For more information, visit these links:
