Scammers impersonate Amazon customer service claiming suspicious purchases or account issues. Here's how to identify and avoid this scam.
The most common variant starts with a robocall: "Your Amazon account has been charged $799.99 for an iPhone 16 Pro. If you did not make this purchase, press 1 to speak with our fraud department." When you press 1, a live scammer takes over, claiming to be Amazon customer service.
The scammer asks you to "verify" your identity by providing your name, address, and Amazon login. They may request remote access to your computer to "process the refund" — using tools like AnyDesk or TeamViewer. Once connected, they manipulate your screen to make it appear a refund was sent, then claim you were "overpaid" and must return the difference via gift cards or wire transfer.
Losses from fake Amazon scams exceeded $27 million in 2025, with an average loss of $1,000 per victim. The scam is effective because Amazon is so widely used — most people have an active Amazon account, making the premise immediately plausible.
In this variant, callers claim your Amazon account has been suspended due to suspicious activity, a payment dispute, or a policy violation. They urgently request you log in through a link they text or email — which leads to a convincing phishing site designed to capture your Amazon credentials.
Once scammers have your Amazon login, they can: make purchases using stored payment methods, access gift card balances, view your order history (useful for further social engineering), change your password and lock you out, and use your account to post fake reviews or run other scams.
Some advanced versions include real-time phishing, where the scammer enters your stolen credentials on the real Amazon site simultaneously, intercepting two-factor authentication codes as you provide them.
Amazon primarily communicates through in-app notifications, email (from @amazon.com addresses), and messages in your Amazon account message center. Amazon does occasionally call customers, but only about specific pending orders or delivery issues — never about account security threats.
Amazon will never: call to inform you of a suspicious purchase and demand immediate action, ask for your password or payment details over the phone, request remote access to your computer, send you to a non-Amazon website to resolve an issue, or demand payment by gift card, wire transfer, or cryptocurrency.
If you receive a suspicious call claiming to be Amazon, hang up and check your Amazon account directly at amazon.com by typing the URL in your browser (don't click any links). Any real account issues will be visible in your account dashboard or message center.
Don't engage. Hang up immediately. Don't press any buttons on a robocall — this confirms your number is active. Don't provide any personal information, and don't call back the number that called you.
If you already shared information: change your Amazon password immediately, enable two-factor authentication on your account, check your order history for unauthorized purchases, remove or update your saved payment methods, and monitor your bank and credit card statements for unauthorized charges.
Report the scam: forward phishing emails to stop-spoofing@amazon.com, report the call to the FTC at reportfraud.ftc.gov, and file a report with Amazon's customer service to flag potential account compromise.
Amazon isn't the only retailer impersonated by phone scammers. Similar scams use the names of Walmart (fake prize winnings or order confirmations), Apple (iCloud account suspension or device support), PayPal (fraudulent transaction alerts), and Best Buy's Geek Squad (fake subscription renewals).
The Geek Squad renewal scam has become particularly prevalent — callers claim you're being charged $299-$499 for a Geek Squad subscription renewal and offer to process a cancellation if you provide remote access. This scam netted over $15 million in 2025.
The defense is the same across all shopping scams: never trust an incoming call claiming account issues, verify directly through the company's official app or website, and remember that legitimate companies don't demand immediate payment over the phone to avoid account suspension.
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