Amazon fake invoice scam has returned

CHARLOTTE — Action 9 has a warning for Amazon shoppers about a phishing scam that seems to be making the rounds again. The email looks like an Amazon invoice, and it asks you to verify an order you did not place. Your instinct may be to click on it and correct the error, but Action 9′s Jason Stoogenke says you should not fall for it.

Brenda Duffy told Stoogenke she got one of the fake invoices. She says it claimed she ordered almost $2,700 worth of technology on Amazon. It instructed her to click a link or call a number to correct it if it was a mistake.

“And that’s where the scam comes in,” Duffy said.

If you look closely, there are some red flags in the email, such as sloppy formatting. Some of the bolded text doesn’t make sense, and it says “All tax inclusive” instead of “included.”

Duffy says she fell for a scam before, but not this time. “Fool me once, you know. But fool me twice, it’s on me,” she said.

Amazon’s website says: “You might receive emails from Amazon, such as Sold, Ship Now emails or Technical Notification emails. However, sometimes you might receive emails that are not really from Amazon, even if at first glance they may appear to be. Instead, such emails are falsified and attempt to convince you to reveal sensitive account information. These false emails, also called “spoofed” emails or “phishing,” look similar to legitimate emails from Amazon. Often these emails direct you to a false website that looks similar to an Amazon website, where you might be asked to give account information, such as your email address and password combination.”

The company also says, “Amazon has filed several lawsuits against phishers and spoofers. These lawsuits began with sellers alerting Amazon to suspicious emails. As part of our ongoing commitment to stop spoofing, you can help us investigate spoofed emails. Send us the original spoofed email, with the complete header information, using our report phishing form.” Click here for information on how to report something suspicious to Amazon.

Action 9 Advice for spotting a spoofed email:

1. Look for spelling and other grammatical mistakes.

2. Hover your cursor over the sender’s email address. It probably looks nothing like an address Amazon would use.

3. If you really think someone bought something using your Amazon account, go into your Amazon account and check your orders.

4. Whatever you do, do not call the number or click the link in the email.

5. Amazon will never ask you for the following information in an email: your bank account, credit card number, PIN, mother’s maiden name, birth city, favorite pet’s name, or Amazon password.

Amazon has more information about protecting yourself here.

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