Beware of Prime Scams This Holiday Season, Amazon Warns Amazon is warning customers to look out for two kinds of scams as holiday shopping begins.

By Erin Davis

Amazon is warning Prime customers of two types of scams ahead of the company's pre-Black Friday promotion, which starts Friday, Nov. 17.

The company says it has shut down almost 50,000 phishing websites this year, and email attachment schemes "have doubled" in the second half of 2023, per Moneywatch.

"The bad thing isn't opening the attachment," Scott Knapp, Amazon's director of worldwide buyer risk prevention, told CBS MoneyWatch. "It's clicking on the link in the attachment, which goes straight to their website, where they start collecting all kinds of information."

RELATED: Social Media Fraud Is On the Rise — And Even the Most Savvy Are Getting Scammed.

The communication can arrive as an email, text, or call, with the scammer posing as an Amazon customer service representative. These fake notifications warn of a suspended account without "taking action," usually by clicking a link, opening an attachment, or even asking for your login credentials.

email-attachment-scam-visual.jpg

A sample scam email. Credit: Amazon.

Another growing scam is when they ask customers to confirm a big purchase (that you haven't made) and then steal your information in the process as you try to sort it out, the company warns.

RELATED: 'Bad Actor at the Hotel': Marriott Customer Warns Guests About a Scam They Think Could Be an Inside Job

"A big red flag is when they start to ask for money or payment information over the phone or by email. That's something we would never do. We'd never ask for that," Knapp said, per CBS.

Amazon is urging customers to let them know of any fraud or scam attempts that are received.

Erin Davis

Entrepreneur Staff

Freelance Writer

Want to be an Entrepreneur Leadership Network contributor? Apply now to join.

Editor's Pick

Business News

JPMorgan Shuts Down Internal Message Board Comments After Employees React to Return-to-Office Mandate

Employees were given the option to leave comments about the RTO mandate with their first and last names on display — and they did not hold back.

Business News

Zillow Predicts These 10 Places Will Have the Hottest Housing Markets in 2025

Zillow predicted that the hottest housing market of 2025 will be Buffalo, New York. Here's why.

Business Ideas

70 Small Business Ideas to Start in 2025

We put together a list of the best, most profitable small business ideas for entrepreneurs to pursue in 2025.

Business News

'Masculine Energy Is Good': Mark Zuckerberg Tells Joe Rogan He Thinks Companies Need More Aggression

On the most recent episode of "The Joe Rogan Experience," Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg said corporate culture has become "neutered."

Business News

'More Soul-Crushing Than Ever': Popular Hiring Platform Finds Around 20% of Its Postings Were 'Ghost Jobs'

Is that job listing too good to be true? There's a one-in-five chance that it might be.

Growing a Business

5 Risk-Taking Lessons From Founders Who Bet Big and Won

Discover the bold moves and strategic risks that catapulted these entrepreneurs to success. Learn how their fearless decisions can inspire your own path to growth.