--- title: "Amazon Scams: How to Spot Fake Orders, Calls and Refunds" url: https://playciso.com/blog/amazon-scams-how-to-spot updated: 2026-11-07 section: Blog publisher: PlayCISO --- # Amazon Scams: How to Spot Fake Orders, Calls and Refunds > Fake delivery texts, "unauthorised purchase" calls, refund and Prime scams: how to spot Amazon impersonators and what to do the moment one shows up. Source: https://playciso.com/blog/amazon-scams-how-to-spot · Published: 2026-11-07 · Publisher: PlayCISO (https://playciso.com) --- **The fastest way to handle a message or call that says it is from Amazon is to ignore everything in it and check from Amazon's own app or website instead.** Amazon's guidance says to look at your orders (only real purchases appear in your order history) and at the Message Center under Your Account, where legitimate messages from Amazon appear. If the delivery, the charge or the message is not there, it did not come from Amazon. And whatever the story, Amazon says it will never ask you to buy a gift card, to share your password or a one-time code, to install software or to give remote access to your device. This guide is about *spotting* Amazon impersonators before you act. If an account has already been taken over, our [Account Takeover Lab](/tools/account-takeover-lab) covers the first hour. ## Do this now: when something "from Amazon" arrives - Stop and do not reply. The US Federal Trade Commission says honest organisations give you time to decide. A message that says you must act now is a reason to slow down. - Do not tap links, scan codes or open attachments. The FTC says not to click links in unexpected emails or texts, even if they seem real. - Do not call the number in the message or on your caller display. Amazon's advice is to stop engaging and then reach it through its app or website, not with numbers from texts, emails or search results. - Check from Amazon yourself. Open the app, or type the website address, sign in, look at your orders, and look in the Message Center under Your Account. (The exact menu names change; see Amazon's help pages in the Sources.) - Do not pay, and never in gift cards. Amazon says it takes payment in its app, on its website or in its stores, not by phone or by a bank transfer on another site. - Never share a password or one-time code, and never give remote access. Amazon says it will never ask for your password or sign-in one-time passcode, and never to download software or grant remote access to resolve an account issue. - Report it and delete it. Amazon says customers can report through its scams help page or self-service reporting tool, and people who are not customers can email reportascam@amazon.com. In the US, also report at ReportFraud.ftc.gov. - If you have already paid or given access, go straight to the last section. You can rehearse all of this in the [Amazon Scam Spotter Lab](/tools/amazon-scam-spotter-lab), a scenario with fictional people where nothing real is at stake. ## How to tell: the red flags None of these signs is proof on its own. Together they are the pattern. Each is a prompt to stop and check from the app. - Urgency. A deadline of hours, a threatened lock, "your account will be closed". The FTC tells you not to act under pressure. - A problem you did not expect. A parcel that "cannot be delivered", a purchase you did not make, a charge you do not recognise. Amazon's scam-trends page says that in September to November 2025, claims of issues with package deliveries were the most common tactic in the reports it received (34%). - A link or a number to fix it. The fix always runs through the sender: a link, a callback number, a "support agent". - A request to pay in an odd way. The FTC lists gift cards, wire transfers, payment apps, cryptocurrency and cheques that later prove fake as the ways scammers ask to be paid. - Asking for secrets or access. A password, a one-time code, a card number read aloud, or a "support app" to install. - An order or message that is not in your account. If it is not in your order history or Message Center, Amazon did not send it. ## Common Amazon scams and what to do These are common patterns, not a ranking, and they change. The defence for each is the same: leave the message, check in the app. ### 1. The delivery text or email A message says a parcel could not be delivered and asks you to confirm an address or pay a small fee through a link. It works because many people are waiting for a parcel. Do not tap. Check your orders in the app. Amazon says legitimate messages appear in the Message Center. ### 2. The "unauthorised purchase" call A recorded voice, or a person, says an expensive item has been bought on your account and offers to cancel it. Then comes the ask: card details, a "verification" payment, or remote access to "see" the problem. Amazon says the most common tactic it saw last year was a call asking for card details to pay for a recent order, and that it will not ask you to download software to connect with customer service or to pay for support. Hang up and check your order history. ### 3. The refund scam Amazon describes scammers who promise a full refund but direct you to unofficial websites or messaging channels. A common twist is a "refund" that is too large, followed by a request to send back the difference. The refund is not real; the money you send is yours. Nobody legitimate needs you to repay by app, gift card or wire. ### 4. The Prime or account notice An email says Prime will renew for a large sum, or your account is "limited", with a number to call or a page to sign in. The page is a copy and the number reaches the scammer. Look at your membership and payments in your own account. Amazon says it will never ask for your password or a sign-in one-time passcode. ### 5. The gift-card demand A caller says your account is hacked and you must buy gift cards to protect your money. Amazon says: "We will never ask you to purchase a gift card." Gift cards are on the FTC's list of payments scammers ask for. ### 6. The package you did not order A cheap item arrives that you did not buy, sometimes with a QR code to "see who sent it". This pattern is often called brushing. The FTC says you do not have to pay for or return things you did not order, that the QR code may lead to a phishing page, and suggests changing passwords on your shopping accounts and reporting it. Do not post a review for it. ### 7. Fake sellers and "pay outside Amazon" A seller says the order is out of stock and offers a discount if you pay by bank transfer on their own page. Amazon says payment requests via another website or a bank transfer are not from it. Staying inside the app keeps the transaction on the platform; leaving removes that. ### 8. Fake jobs and review schemes Amazon names fraudulent job offers among the impersonation scams it sees. A typical script pays you a tiny amount for rating products, then asks for a deposit to "unlock" bigger earnings. If you must pay to be paid, stop. ## Prevent it next time: a checklist - Make a habit: any Amazon message, check in the app or by typing the site address. Never through the message. - Know the three never-asks: gift cards, passwords or one-time codes, and software or remote access. - Use a strong, unique password for your Amazon account and turn on two-step verification in your account settings (the exact path changes; see Amazon's help pages). Our [Password Strength](/tools/password-strength) tool helps you test a new one. - Block unwanted calls and filter unwanted texts, as the FTC suggests, and let unknown numbers go to voicemail. - Agree a household rule: nobody pays anything on a call. Talk to someone you trust first, as the FTC advises. - Help older relatives set it up. Our [Voice Clone Fraud Defense Checklist](/tools/voice-clone-fraud-defense-checklist) helps families agree a way to verify each other. - If a scam arrives by chat app too, see [WhatsApp scams: how to spot them before you reply](/blog/whatsapp-scams-how-to-spot). ## If you already paid or gave access Do not be embarrassed; these scams are built to work on careful people. The FTC says the sooner you contact the company, the better your chances of recovering money. Act in this order. - Gift cards: contact the card issuer right away using the number on the back of the card, say a scammer tricked you into giving the number and PIN, and ask for a refund. Keep the card and receipt. - Credit or debit card: call the number on the back of the card, or use your account online or in the app, report the charge and ask for a refund. - Wire transfer or payment app: report it to the company immediately and say you were tricked. - Cryptocurrency: contact the exchange or ATM operator at once. The FTC warns that recovery is often difficult. - Remote access: the FTC says to update your security software or install it, run a scan, delete what it flags, change your passwords and turn on two-factor authentication. If you need help, contact the device maker or a trusted tech company. - Report it: to Amazon (scams help page or reportascam@amazon.com) and, in the US, to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov. Outside the US, use your national fraud agency. ## Frequently asked questions ### How can I tell if a message is really from Amazon? Do not rely on how it looks. Amazon says to check from its app or website: look at your orders, because only real purchases appear in your order history, and look in the Message Center under Your Account, where legitimate messages from Amazon appear. If the message is not there, treat it as suspect. ### Would Amazon ever ask me to buy a gift card? No. Amazon says it will never ask you to purchase a gift card, and that no legitimate sale requires gift cards. Anyone who asks you to pay with gift cards is a scammer. ### What should I do if someone calls about a purchase I did not make? Hang up. Check your orders in the app or website yourself, and contact Amazon through the app or site, never through a number or link given by the caller. Amazon says the most common tactic it saw was a call asking for card details to pay for a recent order. ### I got a package I never ordered. Is that a scam? It can be. The FTC says you do not have to pay for or return things you did not order, and warns that a QR code inside may lead to a phishing page. Consider changing passwords on your shopping accounts and report it. ### How do I report an Amazon scam? Amazon says to stop engaging, then report through its scams help page or self-service reporting tool if you are a customer. If you are not an Amazon customer, it gives reportascam@amazon.com. In the US you can also report to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov. ### What if I already paid or gave access to a caller? Contact the gift card issuer, bank or payment provider straight away. If you allowed remote access, the FTC says to update your security software, run a scan, change your passwords and turn on two-factor authentication. Then report it. ## Sources - [Amazon: Tips to help you spot and avoid scams impersonating Amazon](https://www.aboutamazon.com/news/retail/how-to-avoid-amazon-scams) - [Amazon: The latest scam trends (Message Center, never-asks and reporting)](https://trustworthyshopping.aboutamazon.com/amazon-scam-trends) - [Amazon Customer Service: Identifying a scam](https://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html?nodeId=G4YFYCCNUSENA23B) - [US Federal Trade Commission: How to avoid a scam](https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/how-avoid-scam) - [US Federal Trade Commission: What to do if you were scammed](https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/what-do-if-you-were-scammed) *This is general guidance, not legal or financial advice. Amazon's menus, page names and wording change; follow the official help pages above for the current steps.*