Lawrence sheriff warns of Amazon scam

By Lilly Adkins

BSN Associate Editor

LOUISA — Lawrence County Sheriff Chuck Jackson is warning citizens about a phone scam in which callers are posing as Amazon employees and claiming to need information.

“We have received numerous calls regarding a scam involving Amazon,” Jackson said. “The calls or emails will say your account is being locked due to a fraudulent charge or lost package. A lot of times the phone number will show up as a local number.”

Jackson posted information from the Better Business Bureau regarding the scam and how it works.

“The phone rings, and when answered it is a recorded message claiming to be from Amazon stating there is a problem with your Amazon account,” the BBB says. “The messages range from a fraudulent charge on your Prime card to a lost or damaged package to an unfulfilled order for an iPhone. But no matter what the recording says, these scammers have the same goal, getting your personal information. The con artists will outright ask for credit card and account login details, or they will request remote access to your computer under the guise of “helping” to solve the issue. There is a confusing twist on this scam. The con artists are spoofing other organizations’ phone numbers to help disguise their calls and lend them credibility - including BBB’s number.”

The BBB advises to be skeptical of email and unsolicited calls and that some departments at Amazon might call customers but they will never ask you to disclose or verify sensitive personal information or offer you a refund you do not expect.

The BBB said Amazon will never ask you to make a payment outside of its website and or ask you for remote access to your device.

The BBB advises to ignore unsolicited messages that ask for personal information. Amazon will also never send you an unsolicited message that asks you to provide sensitive personal information, such as your tax ID, bank account number or credit card information.

The BBB also advises you to ignore calls for immediate action because scammers try to get you to act before you think and beware of requests to pay via wire transfer, prepaid debit card or CashApp (such as MoneyPak, iTunes or similar cards).

Also, the BBB advises you to report it to Amazon and they will investigate the complaint and take action if warranted.