Amazon shoppers warned as fake ’employees’ gain remote access to your computer

AMAZON shoppers have been warned of a “rampant” scam that sees fake “employees” gaining remote access to their computers.

The Federal Trade Commission reported 96,000 people were targeted between July 2020 and June 2021, resulting in losses of more than $27million.

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Nearly one in three people reporting a business impersonator scam say the scammer claimed to be from Amazon.

This is just one of the latest Amazon scams affecting frequent shoppers.

In this particular scam, victims are receiving phone calls from so-called Amazon employees reporting “suspicious activity.”

The scammers are then claiming they need remote access to victims’ computers to install a “security card,” which must be purchased by the victim in the form of gift cards.

Scammers then follow up with victims, claiming they need additional gift cards and Amazon will refund the gift card purchases.

Victims are then realizing too late after they’ve already purchased hundreds or thousands of dollars worth of gift cards.

The Federal Trade Commission reported the average individual loss from these scams sits at about $1,000.

Avoid Amazon impersonators and other similar scams by following some simple steps.

STEPS TO TAKE

First, never call back a number you don’t recognize.

If you are contacted by someone from an unknown number claiming to work for Amazon, your best bet is to visit the company’s website to confirm the validity of this information.

If someone contacts you and requests access to your computer, do not grant it.

This is how hackers gain access to your personal information.

Scammers may also ask you to make purchases with gift cards or to purchase gift cards without reason, and if they do, you should hang up immediately and block the number.

While it may be difficult to verify the validity of a message from an Amazon employee, scammer or not, knowing what to look out for can help you avoid scammers.

You can report suspicious Amazon-related activity on the company’s website.