AMAZON shoppers are being warned to check their accounts after scores of customers have complained that their accounts have been hacked.
Some account holders have reported how they’ve been charged for orders that they didn’t make and that parcels have been posted to addresses that aren’t theirs, reports This Is Money.
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And many shoppers have been left frustrated by the retailer which can take months to respond to a fraud alert.
The problem occurs when shoppers save card details to their accounts – once someone gains access to the account, they can then pay for the goods using the bank information.
One shopper, called Gary, told the paper that he was “fobbed off” by Amazon after reporting that his card had been used to order 26 items from his account.
He was also unable to cancel the payments via his bank who told him it wasn’t a fraudulent company and that his only option was to cancel his card.
Scammers also stole £400 worth of stuff using the account of another shopper, named Sharon, who hasn’t been able to get a refund from her bank or Amazon.
And they’re not alone – scores of customers have taken to Twitter to complain that their accounts have been hacked and payments have been made using their bank details.
Shan wrote: “Second time in a month my Amazon account has been hacked,” while Natalie said: “Can’t believe my Amazon Prime account was hacked. Check your bank accounts!”
Many scam victims have reported that their accounts are still vulnerable months after reporting the issue.
Nick Hollands said: “FUMING with @AmazonUK having spent hours trying to get my hacked account sorted over the past week – STILL NO REPLY OR RESOLUTION.
“VERY poor show and concerning with the lack of interest shown!!!!! Now what????”
How to protect yourself from scams
FIRSTLY, remember that if something seems too good to be true, it normally is.
Check brands are “verifed” on Facebook and Twitter pages – this means the company will have a blue tick on their profile.
Look for grammatical and spelling errors; fraudsters are notoriously bad at writing proper English. If you receive a message from a “friend” informing you of a freebie, consider whether it’s written in your friend’s normal style.
If you’re invited to click on an URL, hover over the link to see the address it will take you to – does it look genuine?
To be on the really safe side, don’t click on unsolicited links in messages, even if they appear to come from a trusted contact.
Be careful when opening email attachments too. Fraudsters are increasingly attaching files, usually PDFs or spreadsheets, which contain dangerous malware.
If you receive a suspicious message then report it to the company, block the sender and delete it.
Another user has threatened legal action after waiting two months for the retailer to take action to help her regain control of her account from scammers.
Richard wrote: “@AmazonUK well, is been a month today since my account was hacked and I’m still waiting on a call from your fraud team or complaints department.
“First class service, thanks for making me feel like a special customer.”
It’s not the first time that customers have been warned about this kind of scam on Amazon.
Last year, we reported how scammers were tricking shoppers into handing over their log in details with dodgy emails and then placing orders using the saved card details.
One customer had £160 worth of gift cards stolen and £112 worth of items fraudulently ordered from his account.
It’s not clear whether Amazon will refund all customers in cases of fraud.
An Amazon spokesperson said: “We have a range of sophisticated and rigorous fraud detection and prevention measures that provide comprehensive layers of protection for our customers.
“We also provide customers with the option to enable two step verification – customers can click on the “Your Account” button on the Amazon.co.uk homepage and choose “Login & Security” for more details.”
We recently revealed how hackers were able to abuse Amazon Alexa and Google Home smart speakers to eavesdrop on users’ conversations and steal passwords.
Parents have also been warned to beware children’s smart toys, such as walkie talkies and karaoke machines, sold on Amazon, Argos and Smyths, that can be hacked and kids being contacted by strangers.
