According to the Daily Mail, some Amazon customers have been affected by criminals who have stolen their user credentials.
These fraudsters are using these credentials to order items for themselves and leaving the charges for the owners of the accounts. Some customers have charges upwards of a thousand pounds. For many customers, the most frustrating part is that Amazon is doing little to help.
How does this fraud occur?
Criminals only need your login details (email and password) to get into your account. They acquire these details through fake Amazon emails sent to customers or places like the Dark Web. Once they have your account details they will make small purchases to see if they will be noticed.
Once they feel comfortable they will attempt larger purchases and plan to intercept them at your address or an address of their choosing. Chances are criminals will also have access to a victims email allowing them to delete any order notifications.
The part that many victims are finding frustrating is Amazon’s lack of cooperation in helping to identify the culprits. One of the customers, Ian Pooley had to take matters into his own hands.
It turned out Amazon had told American Express that Ian had received the goods, sending FedEx paperwork as proof of delivery.
American Express used this a reason not to return the money to Ian. It took months for Ian to collect enough evidence to have the charges removed.
How you can avoid this from happening to you
Outside of being wary of scam emails that ask for your credentials, you should be taking active steps to keep your information off of the Dark Web. There, criminals can find, trade and sell your information until one of them has enough details to commit fraud.
Tap into the digital you at ScoresMatter to learn how you can avoid becoming a victim of fraud.
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