John Willoughby: Greene Publishing, Inc.
The Better Business Bureau (BBB) is alerting consumers about a scam email that is circulating the world-wide web, targeting Amazon customers. The newest email scam contains an almost-believable letter asking users to “verify account information now.”
Most emails that have been received have shown the email sender as “Amazon.com.” The subject line reads “we could not confirm the address associated with your Amazon account.” The email then reads that the customer's account has been disabled to “avoid account misuse.” Readers are asked to click the link to enable their account by verifying information.
The BBB warns consumers that the link does not lead to Amazon.com. Instead, the link leads to a website that could be full of malicious viruses of malware that leaves your online banking and personal information exposed, vulnerable to attack.
The BBB provides the following tips to keep you safe from undercover attacks and email phishing scams.
Don't click on links in unsolicited emails. These links can download malware onto your computer or phone and can lead to identity theft. Remember, even if they look official, they could be fake.
Never share your personal information with someone who has contacted you unsolicited. Personal information can include date of birth, credit card or banking informations, address or your Social Security number.
To know if an email is really from Amazon, you may go to amazon.com/help and click on “other topics and help sites.” To report a scam to Amazon directly, you may send the scam email and/or webpage to stop-spoofing@amazon.com.
To learn more about online scams in general, go to BBB.org/scamtips or to report a scam, go to BBB.org/scamtracker. You may also learn more about phishing scams at BBB.org/phishingscam.