As Amazon Prime Day kicks into high gear, consumers need to be on alert. That's because the most impersonated retail brand for phishing attacks is Amazon, according to research from Atlas VPN.
Phishing websites are online scams created by hackers. They'll send consumers an authentic-looking email that appears to be from a well-known source, such as Amazon or Walmart, or an internet service provider or bank.
The intent is to trick consumers into revealing sensitive information. The hackers can then use that information to raid a consumer's account or create a new account.
Criminals have developed clever ways to dupe consumers into visiting fake sites to steal their data. And malicious websites often look identical to the real ones. These sites also might deploy harmful software known as ransomware. Attackers can lock a user's computer and then try to extort a fee to unlock it.
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According to data presented by Atlas VPN, a privately held company that helps shield against online phishing attacks, more than 1,630 suspicious Amazon sites were detected in the last 90 days.
Cybercriminals Eye Amazon Prime Day
After Amazon, the second-most-common retail brand used for retail phishing attacks is Walmart, with 427 sites. Walmart is followed by China e-commerce giant Alibaba, at 398.
Notably, some of those fake sites have already been taken down, either by scammers themselves or by various security measures, Atlas VPN said. But they just create new ones.
With Amazon Prime Day in play, running July 12-13, it's much easier for cybercriminals to mix in their emails and ads among numerous legitimate ones.
Atlas VPN said data for its research was extracted from CheckPhish. It's a phishing and fraud site scanner that uses deep learning and computer vision.
Ugg, a footwear company owned by Deckers Outdoor, is the fourth-most-impersonated retailer, followed by Target, Atlas VPN said.
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