Amazon threat warning as Black Friday scammers are sending fake emails to hack your account

SHOPPERS are being warned ahead of Black Friday to look out for potential scammers masking behind fake emails to steal their information.

Individuals who choose to shop this holiday season have been advised to take all necessary precautions when purchasing online to avoid phishing schemes.

A hacker looking at codes on a phone in his hand, while another phone sits on top of a laptop displaying information

AMAZON HACK ATTEMPT

In a recent attempt to take advantage of holiday shoppers, a cybercriminal(s) attempted to impersonate Amazon, a popular shopping site, using a phony email, TechRepublic reported.

The hacker sent out emails, written in Japanese, and claimed to be from “Amazon. Urgent notice.”

The subject line, however, was written in English and stated “System Notification: Unfortunately, we were unable to renew your Amazon account.”

PHISHING EMAILS & TEXTS

Through emails and texts linking to non-legitimate websites, hackers will attempt to obtain personal information like credit card numbers, Social Security numbers, or account passwords, according to CNET

Phony websites trick shoppers into believing that they are being contacted by a company, ultimately leading them to provide their card information.

Shoppers may be fooled by emails showing an incorrect order, so it’s important to look out for attacks like this that will likely appear to come from big retailers like Amazon, Best Buy, Target, and Walmart.

It’s best to be wary of emails requesting payment method updates or other personal information.

CREDIT CARD SKIMMING

People are also being advised to beware of digital credit card skimming scams.

Tim Mackey, principal security strategist for Synopsis, said: “There isn’t an obvious way for the average person to be able to identify if or when a website has been compromised.

“The only potential tell-tale sign might be that the website itself doesn’t quite look ‘right.’”

When participating in online shopping, it’s important to double-check product prices and avoid “too good to be true” deals from unknown websites.

“Hackers are doubling down on the strategy to lure consumers into fraud through ‘too good to be true’ offers, promising large discounts such at 80 percent or 85 percent off,” said Omer Dembinsky, data group manager at Check Point Software.

“Their strategy is to capitalize on a consumer’s excitement after showing an eye-popping discount. I strongly urge consumers to beware of these ‘too good to be true” offers as they shop online on Black Friday and Cyber Monday.”

DON’T BE FOOLED

It has also been warned that scammers are using the attraction of a gift card generator to try and steal cryptocurrency from their unsuspecting victims.

Black Friday, which occurs on the Friday after Thanksgiving each year, will take place on November 26, 2021, so online shoppers still have some time to learn about scams to avoid.