Beware Amazon Email Phishing Con

A new email phishing scheme is rapidly making the rounds, according to the Better Business Bureau. This time the subject of the target is Amazon.com.

Emails with the subject line "Thank you for your order" look legitimate. They sport the Amazon.com logo and appear to originate from Amazon's customer service department.

The email mentions an order you supposedly placed and details a fake order number, price and conveniently includes a link for you to view the order. Click on the link to see your order, however, and you'll be directed to a fake site where con artists will try to steal your personal data.

DON'T CLICK ON THE LINK.

If you've received such a fraudulent e-mail, please forward it to stop-spoofing@amazon.com.

Here are six key points to identify this phishing email, according to Amazon.

1. Amazon.com Won't Ask For This Info In An Email
Social Security number
Tax identification number
Credit card number
PIN number
Credit card security code
Mother's maiden name
Amazon.com password

2. Requests For Confirmation
Amazon won't ask you to verify or confirm your account details by clicking on a link in an e-mail.

3.  Suspicious Email Attachments
Amazon won't require you to open an attachment to view an order confirmation or unsolicited requests.

4. Content Errors
Be on the lookout for poor grammar or typographical errors.

5. Check the Website Address
Genuine Amazon websites are always hosted on the "amazon.com" domain. Thus, addresses will begin with: "http://www.amazon.com/" or "https://www.amazon.com/"

Some links in e-mails look like a genuine Amazon.com address. Hover your mouse over the link to see the actual address. The true url will appear in the status bar at the extreme bottom left of your browser window.

6. Protect Your Account Info
If you did click through from a spoofed or suspicious e-mail and you entered your Amazon account information, immediately update your Amazon password.

You can do this through "Your Account" at Amazon.com by choosing the option to "Change your name, e-mail address, or password" found under Account Settings. Even if someone has been able to look at your account, they still can't see your full credit card information. Unfortunately, they can still send orders from your account using your credit card. Contact Amazon immediately if you notice any orders you didn't place.

Immediately contact your credit card company if you submitted your number to the site linked to the forged email message.

Photo by asirap