This scam gets to be wildly successful, this time of year, because many of us are patronizing Amazon so much. As the standard notification emails roll in from all of your purchases and returns, The Amazon Purchase Scam email may arrive in your inbox. Please don’t mistake this for a true Amazon message! This is just another variant of the Thank You for Your Purchase Scam.
Exhibit A:
If you receive this email, about an unexpected purchase you’ve made, take a moment to pause. Do not call the number in the message! Scammers are hoping that people will call the included number, in their haste to remedy the problem. Once they get you on the phone, a remote control scam will begin, putting your money and computer at risk.
Realize that the order and the other info in this email is 100% false. There is no charge. There is no iPhone. The order and transaction numbers are all made up. If you have a doubt, you may close the email, go to www.amazon.com and look through your order history. Once you are certain that this is all rubbish, you may delete the email (or mark it as spam) and move on with your day.
Also Consider
The above example is an easy scam to spot. There are obvious grammar mistakes, and (not shown) it came from a Gmail address. But we should not rest on our laurels, as more and more scam messages employ perfect English spelling and grammar. Some emails use spoofing to make the sender’s address look legitimate. With some extra effort, it is possible to make a phishing email look *perfect*.
The Amazon Purchase Scam may also arrive to you via phone call. Some scammers will cold-call people with some story about how your expensive Amazon purchase has been delayed/damaged/diverted. If you find yourself on a call like this, hang up. Go to www.amazon.com, peruse your order history, and contact Amazon support through their website, if you feel anything merits discussion.
If you want to go the extra mile, Amazon-related scams can be reported in various ways, as detailed on this Amazon page.