If there’s one truism above all others when it comes to cybercriminal hackers, it has to be that they follow the money and the crowd. That is why we see so many attacks that target the likes of Gmail accounts, the Microsoft Windows operating system and, most recently, Facebook passwords. Amazon, as you might expect given its status in the world of online retail, is not immune to this attention. With the retail giant announcing that this year’s Prime Day sales will span four days in July, hackers will already be making their nefarious plans. The badness is that last year, Prime Day attacks increased by 80% over the year before. The good news is that Amazon is ready. Here’s what you need to know.
Amazon Warns That Prime Day Scams Increased By 80% In 2024
You couldn’t make this up. As I was writing this very article, I received a call from a scammer impersonating Amazon, asking if I had ordered an iPhone 13. Yes, seriously. Precisely the kind of threat that Amazon is warning about, at precisely the moment that I write about hackers making their plans for this year. Obviously, I didn’t fall for it, and neither will you if you take the advice from Amazon that follows shortly.
As Amazon has now confirmed that Prime Day 2025 will take place July 8 through July 11, you can expect to be on the end of such calls, text messages and emails yourself. An Amazon spokesperson told me that “as deals drop, consumers may also drop their guards, making them more susceptible to scams.” And Amazon has the numbers to make the hairs on your back stand up to support the warning: “In the weeks surrounding Prime Day in 2024,” the spokesperson said, “Amazon customers reported an 80% increase in all impersonation scams that claimed there was an issue with their account.”
Unsurprisingly, as in my case, the top threat tactics included claiming to be from Amazon support and warning that there was a problem with your order, account, or payment. “Impersonation scams via phone calls,” Amazon warned, “more than doubled during Prime Day” last year.
Amazon Advice For Customers To Prevent Account Scam Attacks
Amazon has shared the following advice for shoppers, both before and during the Prime Day 2025 sales, on how to stay safe from brand impersonation hackers:
- Verify purchases directly on Amazon, do not respond to a message, click on a link or give account information over the phone.
- Amazon will only ever ask for payment in its app or on the website, and never by email or phone.
- Do not be fooled by scammers creating a sense of false urgency. Count to ten and apply the advice at the top of the list.
- Amazon will never ask you to purchase a gift card.
Find out more about how Amazon protects customers from scams and the best way to report an incident here.
