Have you ever needed to contact Amazon's customer service department and searched Google for the phone number? That's how some scammers are finding their victims these days.
Fake customer service numbers are showing up in search results and on social media platforms, Clark.com has confirmed.
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Amazon scam: What you need to know before calling customer service
Krebs on Security reports that victims are calling the bogus phone numbers to cancel Amazon Prime — or for other reasons — and the scammers are asking for credit card and bank account information.
TheDailyScam.com has an updated list of the phony customer service numbers. I called one of the phone numbers that's showing up in Google search results.
Read on for a play-by-play of how the conversation went…
- Man from "Online support" answered the phone and I said I wanted to cancel my membership
- He confirmed that I was talking about an Amazon Prime membership, asked if I was paying annually or monthly, then asked how much I pay for Prime
- He asked for my name and phone number to cancel the account
- Man directed me to Google and asked me to enter "support.me" into the search bar to "connect me to the Amazon server"
- He gave me a code to enter, but I refused because it wasn't Amazon's official website
- Man then told me to sign in to my Amazon.com account, search "Google Play card," select a $100 gift card and click "Buy Now"
- He said the virtual transaction was needed to generate a code that would allow him to process the cancellation
At this point, I had heard enough. I told the man at the call center that the number was featured on TheDailyScam.com. Our conversation ended a short time after I brought that up.
How to protect yourself from the Amazon scam
To avoid falling for this scam, make sure that you're calling Amazon's actual phone number: 888-280-4331.
Another way to ensure that you're reaching the real Amazon is to visit the retail giant's Contact Us page. You'll find the option to enter your phone number and Amazon will call you.
In addition, you can cancel your Prime membership online at Amazon.com. Here's the link.
It’s not just Amazon being targeted by scams like this one. To be on the safe side, always go directly to a business or organization’s official website to find their contact information.