Amazon Prime Day was this past week. It’s become such a staple of the summer shopping season that a number of other online retailers have initiated their own sales which coincide with Prime Day. With so many items being purchased, the majority of shipping companies and the USPS will be extra busy delivering all these packages. This means consumers should expect various shipping scams whether they bought anything or not this week.
The most common of these scams is the delayed delivery scam. This is where a consumer will receive a text message that claims to typically come from UPS, FedEx, or the USPS. The messages will say that your item could not be delivered for whatever reason. A link will be contained in the message where the recipient will be asked to update their shipping information. More often than not, the phony shipping company will also say there is a service fee involved, and the consumer will be asked for their payment information. While the service fee may be small, it’s really the payment information the scammers are after.
Scammers don’t actually know whether you made a Prime purchase this week or not. They send out these text messages en masse, hoping to catch a few victims. Any unsolicited text message with a link in it should be treated as suspect. However, if you are expecting an important delivery and want to make sure there are no delivery issues, use the shipping company’s app or website to address any concerns. Clicking on links in suspicious messages could lead to having your phone infected with malware, spyware, or ransomware.
Today in the Scam Round up, we’re bringing you one scam you definitely should be aware of, a new twist on an old scam, and a kind of strange scam.
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First, we have the new twist on the old scam, the rental scam to be specific. Typically, in a rental scam, the scammers post a home or apartment for rent online they don’t own. They’ll then start collecting security deposits, or rent money, from their victims. This is usually all done without ever meeting face to face. However, a woman from Cleveland, Ohio, is accused of allegedly collecting $20,000 from dozens of victims at the apartment complex she worked at. The scammer would tell victims that their application was approved before taking their money. This included payments in money order, cash, and, of course, Cash App.
It’s difficult to protect yourself from a scam like this when it’s being perpetrated by an employee of a legitimate apartment complex. While we imagine the odds of this scam happening again are low, if you feel like you’re not receiving enough communication from the property management as you get closer to your move-in date, consider talking to another employee at that complex. If you’ve been scammed like this, don’t hesitate to contact your local police.
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In our strange scam story, restaurants from across the country are being extorted. A rash of scammers is threatening to review-bomb the restaurants with one-star reviews on Google, if the restaurant doesn’t send a $75 Google Play gift card to the scammer electronically. We’re not just talking about your local Applebee’s, these scammers are also threatening restaurants that have been awarded the much lauded Michelin Stars.
What makes matters worse, Google isn’t the easiest company to get a hold of when you need an issue like this resolved. Google has even refused to recognize some of the reviews as fake and have refused to remove them from their platform.
While not a lot of people own restaurants compared to the rest of us, a scam like this can potentially threaten any industry and any business.
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Lastly, we have the scam that everyone should be aware of. Today starts Amazon Prime Day, one of the online retail giant’s biggest sales event. Cybersecurity experts call Prime Day the Super Bowl for scammers. The biggest threats are said to be phony websites that imitate Amazon and messages that appear to come from Amazon but don’t. If a shopper ends up going to one of these phony Amazon clones, they could be subject to malware, identity theft, and lost funds. Always check the URL, or web address, to make sure you’re on the website you want to be. Scam sites will often have a URL that is spelled like the site they’re imitating, but be one letter off or have left a letter out. They could also have the Amazon name in their URL, but have it direct you to their scam site instead.
Consumers should also be wary of deals that sound too good to be true. That could also be the indicator of a scam. If you will be shopping online during Prime Day, try to use a credit card whenever possible because they offer more protection than a standard bank debit card.
Amazon’s popular Prime Day promotion starts today. Prime Day has gotten so popular that other major retailers have started their own version of Prime Day to compete with Amazon’s industry-leading sale. While these online sales could be a great value for consumers, they could also be a great burden for some. According to reports, one of the more annoying scams has been making the rounds again just in time for Prime Day.
Of course, we’re talking about the brushing scam. The brushing scam is when you get sent packages to your home of things you didn’t order. Usually, these packages come from Amazon and contain low-cost items. This is done so third-party vendors that sell through Amazon can give themselves good online reviews in your name, and the review shows up on Amazon as a verified purchase, giving the phony review more legitimacy. In turn, this leads to these products being recommended more often by Amazon. One family in New York State recently received thousands of face mask brackets that they didn’t order. They received so many that the boxes were piled higher than their front door.
While you may think it’s great to be getting free stuff, the brushing scam could have longer lasting results. If you receive unsolicited packages like this, it could mean that your Amazon, or other retailer, account could be compromised. It’s recommended that you check your account for any unauthorized purchases and to change your account password. It could also mean that your identity was part of a data leak, which is where scammers often get the information about their victims. Also, you should keep an eye on your credit, as brushing scammers could potentially have your financial information as well.
(The following post is not an endorsement for Amazon.com)
Today, Tuesday, October 13, 2020, is the start of Amazon Prime Day. That’s when the online retail behemoth offers one-day exclusive deals to customers who pay for their annual Prime membership. Many view it as Amazon’s Black Friday. And just like Black Friday, many of the deals offered by Amazon can seem questionable at best. However, also like Black Friday, that’s not going to stop shoppers from making purchases they see as a good deal.
Of course, there will be another Prime Day pitfall to look out for. Scammers will be out in full force looking to swindle you out of any savings you might have accrued.
Reports are warning Amazon shoppers to be wary of any unsolicited phone calls you might receive that are claiming to be from Amazon. These calls will try to tell you that there’s been a fraudulent charge to your Amazon account or that something you ordered has been lost or damaged.
If you receive one of these phone calls, it is recommended that you hang up without giving the caller any personal information. Instead, log in to your Amazon account and look at your order history to see if any of these claims are true.
There may also be a resurgence of the phony delivery text message scam that we featured a few weeks ago. As always, never click a link on an unsolicited text message from someone you don’t know personally.
In some extreme cases, phony Amazon reps will ask for remote access to your device in order to clear up any problems your account may have. Never allow a stranger to have remote access to your device as not only could they steal personal information but they could also install malware onto your device which would allow them to spy on your device at any time.
As we mentioned yesterday, Amazon just had its annual Prime Day sale. If you decided to take advantage of the deals to be had online you should be aware of a particular scam that looks to take advantage of all the orders made on Prime Day. It’s called brushing and some retailers will send you a product of their’s unsolicited and at no charge to you. They’re looking for favorable online reviews and even if sent to you free of charge, the vendor can consider you a ‘verified purchase’ on Amazon. The main problem with brushing scams is that someone may have purchased these items on yours on someone else’s stolen account.
In other scam news, reports are coming out of Northern California about a parking lot scam designed to pressure you into giving a stranger money. Several residents have complained about a scam where someone walks behind your car in a parking lot as you try to pull out. The scammer will drop their phone then act like it’s broken, or more than likely they’ll have dropped an already broken phone. They’ll then try to claim it was your fault and try to get you to give them money for their phone’s insurance deductible. If this scam happens to you, it’s recommended that you call the police.
While this next scam happens all year round with places like Disney World, it picks up in the summer months due to other regional theme parks being open for the season. If you see a post on social media promising you free tickets to a theme park or other attraction it is more than likely a scam. This happened recently in the Sandusky, Ohio area where the popular Cedar Point theme park is. This scam is intended to get either your personal or financial information which the scammers will say is necessary in order to get the tickets. They could even ask for a processing fee. In the end, the scammers end up with your information and possibly your money and you’re left with nothing.
Right now, Amazon is having its annual mid-year sale known as Prime Day. This year, the sales are taking place over two days with today being the last. Prime Day is only second to Black Friday in terms of purchases made online. Prime Day has gotten so huge that even other retailers are trying to get in on the action. Since this is one of Amazon’s busiest times of the year it should come as no surprise that Amazon workers are probably working extra hours and possibly even extra shifts to get all the merchandise delivered in a timely manner. However, a number of Amazon employees used Prime Day as an opportune time to protest working conditions in the Amazon fulfillment centers.
Amazon employees from around the globe took to the picket lines to protest what they consider to be problematic working conditions. In Europe, many of Amazon’s employees are unionized but here in the US, they are not. That didn’t stop several Amazon employees from protesting in Shakopee, Minnesota. The protesters believe that they are expected to reach unobtainable production goals at the cost of their health and well being.
If Amazon was to decrease the demands of their workers that would affect the overall shipping process. Instead of being able to receive a package in two days it might be four or five days instead. Would consumers who are already used to Amazon’s quick delivery be willing to give up such convenience? In order to really send a message to Amazon, the protesters would really need to get a rather large amount of Amazon’s consumers on their side. Without the support of consumers voting with their wallets, we might not see working conditions improve for Amazon fulfillment center employees. Short of government intervention, which seems unlikely at this point, consumer persuasion is probably the only way Amazon will change.
Later today, Amazon will kick off its annual summer version of Black Friday they call Prime Day. This means anyone with an Amazon Prime account will be able to get great deals on any number of items being offered by the online retail leader. According to an estimate by CNN Money, Amazon is expected to make $3.4 billion this year during its Prime Day rush. However, while you may get a great deal on an Amazon Echo delivered to your door, there’s a human cost to the slashed prices and marketing blitz of Prime Day.
For the past few years, Amazon has been under fire for allegedly treating its employees at its fulfillment centers like so much chattel. According to a blistering expose released by the New York Times a few years ago, not only does Amazon supposedly overwork their employees in such a way that it’s often referred to as a sweatshop, but Amazon has also been accused of playing fast and loose with labor laws when it comes to its staffing practices. In many cases, an Amazon worker is ‘on the clock’ even when they’re not being paid because they need to be in constant contact with Amazon all hours of the day and night.
As I posted around this time last year, many people refuse to shop at WalMart due to the supposed poor working conditions their employees have to endure, yet we have no trouble giving Amazon our money when their employees are treated just as bad or worse. Again, is it because we don’t ever see Amazon’s employees work so they’re out of sight and out of mind? Or is it because we value having indulgent computer boxes that we ask inane questions sent to our door with free shipping over the lives of the workers that bring them to us? Please consider that before making your next Amazon purchase.
A phishing attack is when a scammer sends out a mass of emails that look like legitimate emails from such places as a bank telling you to log into your account and offering you a link to do so. Usually they do this under the guise that something is wrong with your account. Instead of sending you to your bank site, the website it sends you to is almost a mirror image of your bank’s site, but it’s a fake. It’s designed to copy your log in credentials in order to steal your financial information.
More recently, a phishing attack has appeared that purports to be from Amazon. The email looks like it came from Amazon itself and it thanks you for buying an item during Amazon’s Prime Day, its once a year site-wide sale Amazon holds in July for its Prime Members. The email then asks you to write a review for the product your purchased and promises the chance for you to win a $50 Amazon gift card if you do. Then a link is offered to take you directly to Amazon. Much like the bank phishing scam, instead of taking you to Amazon, it takes you to a site which looks almost identical to the Amazon sign on page, but as usual it isn’t. If you enter your log in credentials here, they could be stolen and the perpetrators could use the financial information stored in your Amazon account to buy items for themselves. By the time you notice, the merchandise could have already been delivered to a temporary address and you’re stuck with the bill.
When dealing with phishing emails like this, never click on any of the links. If you feel it may be a legitimate email, go to directly to the website by typing out the address in your browser. Always make sure the URL is spelled correctly as scammers will often use addresses that are slight misspellings of the actual URL. Also make sure when dealing with any website that needs your financial information, the URL should start with https, not just http. In most modern browsers it should also display a lock icon to let you know the site is secure.
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