Fake Amazon Purchase Phishing Scam

Phishing Scam

16 December 2021 3 min read

Variations of a fake Amazon purchase phishing scam, which use text messages and phone calls, are trying to lure people into giving away their banking and personal information. The attackers pretend to be from Amazon and try to get victims to provide their personal and banking details.

Scammers claim to be from either Amazon, or the Amazon Prime streaming service. They may also claim to be from a bank. The scammer will tell you they have noticed a suspicious transaction on your account and that you are required to immediately make contact to dispute the transaction. Scammers typically try to trick people into providing their account information over the phone.

You also receive a text message allegedly from Amazon, stating an order has been confirmed and payment made for a particular item. A phone number is included to dispute the payment and if you call the number, you will be asked to confirm that you submitted the order, and if you didn’t, then you need to provide your bank details so the order can be cancelled.

Victims who make contact with the scammer using the telephone number or link provided in the text message are asked to provide their personal and banking details. Once your information is obtained, the scammer then used the details to access your account and make purchases with your card or other financial instrument.

Fake 'Amazon Prime' phishing scam

You receive a phone call with voice recording that states they are calling from Amazon Prime and that your account has been renewed for $39.99. The recording then tells you to ‘press 1’ to dispute the transaction. If you press ‘1’, you will be redirected to a scammer who claims to be from Amazon Prime Support and can assist you with removing these fees.

You will then be asked to download an app called ‘Team Viewer’ onto your phone or computer. If you do this, the scammer will then have access to remotely control your phone or computer. Scammers then try to trick you into logging in to your bank account so that ‘Amazon’ can process a refund. If you follow their instructions the scammer can see you log-in, and that will enable them to access your bank account and steal your money. Amazon will never contact you by phone to tell you that your account has been renewed. If this happens, it is likely a scam.

What should you do if you receive an Amazon scam call?

If you believe that you have received a Fake Amazon scam call or message, there are a few things you can do:

• Be suspicious of calls or texts that want you to call with a number or click on a link;
• DO NOT USE DETAILS GIVEN VIA SMS - Check if a call or message is genuine, find the legitimate contact details for the company by yourseld;
• Do not give account details out to people over the phone;
• Do not download any applications to your phone which grants them access.

What to do if you’ve fallen for an Amazon scam

If you have paid, immediately contact your bank or financial institution to try and block the payment. If you are using a debit or credit card, contact your credit card provider and ask for a refund.

If you have provided your card details or your personal information to fraudsters via a phone call, you should contact the police and report it as fraud or contact ID Care 1800 595 160.

Lodge a cybercrime report with Australian Cyber Security Centre (ACSC). Visit to their website to report the incident and follow the online steps.

The sooner you do this, the more time you will have to stop the fraud from being executed.