Online giant Amazon has issued a warning to all customers. The retailer is urging everyone who uses Amazon to check the 'your orders' section on their account urgently, to avoid being scammed out of money.
The retailer's advice comes as an alarming number of people are being targeted by scammers. The tech giant says it has already taken down more than 20,000 phishing websites and 10,000 phone numbers purporting to be Amazon.
The company has now sent out guidance to those who use the service. In an email sent to shoppers, Amazon said people should be wary of installing apps and software as the company will not ask you to download anything in order to receive a refund or to get help from customer service. Shoppers should also keep a firm eye on the 'your orders' section of the website so as not to fall victim to any scams.
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It has also advised people to never pay over the phone as Amazon will not ask people to provide their payment information over the phone. This includes gift cards, for predicts or services, reports The Echo.
People are also urged to verify their orders directly with Amazon, with the company not calling, texting or emailing people about unexpected orders. For any questions about orders, people should check "Your Orders" on the website or app.
Amazon says it will not pressure people into acting immediately - while scammers are said to create a "sense of urgency" in order to persuade customers into doing what they say.
People are also asked to report these communications directly to Amazon. For more information on how to stay safe, people can go to the security and privacy page on the Amazon website.
This comes after it was reported scammers are impersonating the online retailer to gain access to customers' devices and steal personal information such as bank details, according to consumer rights website Which?. To carry out the scam, fraudsters are said to be calling customers out of the blue.
Fraudsters start the scam by ringing from an unrecognised number. When a person answers, the scammer will tell them their Amazon Prime subscription is going up in price or is about to expire.
On its website, Which? said: "Amazon confirmed to Which? that it will never ask customers to provide remote access to their devices or make any payments outside of its website."
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