Local

How scammers take advantage of online shopping with Amazon

TULSA, Okla. — Many of us appreciate the convenience of shopping on Amazon, and with Amazon Prime, you can have something delivered in a matter of hours. But scammers are trying to take advantage of Amazon’s popularity.

The Better Business Bureau (BBB) said they are getting reports of scammers posing as Amazon employees. These scammers call people and claim that they need account information. Other times they claim something is wrong with your order.

They’re also sending emails that say, if you don’t reply, you could lose your Amazon Prime account. The problem is, some people getting these emails don’t even have Amazon Prime.

Amie Mitchell with the BBB said that you can’t be at risk of losing an account that you never had in the first place.

“You would think it’s common sense, but a lot of people get scared, Amazon is a big company and it’s a good company, but if you don’t have an account you’re not at risk of losing that account,” Mitchell said.

“If you don’t have an account, you can’t lose it,” Mitchell later said.

Scammers may also claim that there’s something wrong with your order, or that they owe you a refund. Mitchell said that’s just not how Amazon works.

“They’re not gonna call and just say, ‘hey we have a refund for you, we have some money’,” Mitchell said.

Mitchell also said that getting a refund on Amazon is something you need to initiate yourself.

“If you have something that you need to return to Amazon and seek a refund, that’s all on you and it’s pretty easy to do on their app or on their website,” she said.

The BBB also said to not do business with an Amazon seller who directs you off the Amazon website. They also said to not click on links or anything urging you to install software on your device.

“Be really careful,” Mitchell said.

Mitchell also said to not respond to emails asking you to provide Amazon account information, like your email address and password.

Amazon will never ask you to disclose or verify sensitive personal information.

You can report a scam on the BBB Scam Tracker.

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