As the holiday shopping season ramps up, Amazon is advising its users to exercise caution when navigating online purchases. The retail giant has alerted its 300 million active customers to be on the lookout for impersonation scams, which tend to increase as Black Friday and Cyber Monday approach.
On November 24, Amazon reached out to its customer base via email, outlining the various fraudulent schemes that become particularly prevalent during this bustling retail period. Historically, cybercriminal activities see a notable rise during this time, making it crucial for shoppers to remain vigilant.
According to the alert, which was first covered by Forbes, scammers are increasingly masquerading as Amazon representatives. Their goal is to extract sensitive personal or financial information from unsuspecting users. These fraudulent attempts often manifest as fake notifications regarding delivery issues or account problems, misleading ads on social media promising significant discounts, and unsolicited messages through unofficial channels that request payment or login credentials.
Furthermore, Amazon warns its customers to be cautious of unfamiliar links, notifications about purchases they don’t remember making, and unexpected tech-support calls. By staying alert, shoppers can help protect themselves from falling prey to these deceptive tactics during the holiday season.
The company said common impersonation attempts include fake delivery-issue or account-problem notifications, misleading social media ads offering steep discounts, and unsolicited messages sent through unofficial channels requesting payment or login details.
Customers should also be wary of unfamiliar links, alerts about purchases they don’t recall making and unexpected tech-support phone calls.
The warning comes as cybersecurity researchers report a wave of new scam infrastructure being deployed in advance of the holiday weekend.
A FortiGuard Labs analysis released Nov. 25 found more than 18,000 holiday-themed domains were registered in the past three months using terms such as “Christmas,” “Black Friday” and “Flash Sale.”
At least 750 of those were confirmed to be malicious, the firm said, calling the volume of suspicious domains a clear sign of coordinated pre-holiday cybercrime efforts.
Amazon, which remains the largest online retailer and a major target for scammers, said customers can reduce their risk by relying only on official Amazon channels for all account-related actions, including customer service, delivery tracking, refunds and account changes. The company also urged users to enable two-factor authentication or adopt passkeys to add an extra layer of security to their accounts.
The retailer emphasized that legitimate Amazon representatives will never ask for sensitive information through unsolicited messages or direct customers to third-party sites. Shoppers who receive suspicious communications are encouraged to report them through Amazon’s help center.
