Amazon regularly gives you excellent deals. You may find these offers in online advertisement or via email, or just by navigating the platform. However, are Amazon deals always safe? In fact, there can be Amazon scams that you must try to avoid. If someone is trying to trick you there are some tips to protect your money.
Hackers always look for ways to grab the victim’s attention, attempting to find a way to introduce malware in your computer, or steal your passwords or even compromise security in any other way. In Amazon scams, they create fake links to download malware files and you need to avoid it.
The fake offers on Amazon and how to avoid scams
It’s very common to come across very cheap offers on Amazon. For example, a well-known product with lots of sales and a ridiculously low price can be the best bait. They use these scams to gain access to your computer, steal passwords or even sell something that you won’t ever receive. Amazon has nothing to do with these scams; they are cybercriminals using its name to trick people.
Viral messages on WhatsApp
One of the problems you usually encounter is receiving messages through WhatsApp. They are normally viral messages that reach many people at the same time. The text usually indicates a very low price for a product or a bait like “Buy this phone with the cheapest price on Amazon” to lure you in.
Be careful when these messages come from contacts you trust. It’s not because they send them but they have been victims of a cloning attack. When a mobile phone is infected, they forward the message to the contacts.
Social Media
Another similar way of Amazon scams that you must avoid is the social media messages. Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, for example, are the entrance gate for virus and malware. The strategy is pretty similar: they send you a message trying to catch your attention with a great Amazon deal that it’s actually a scam.
Once you have entered that page, it can be a phishing attack. They also try to steal your passwords and your Amazon account. If they ask you to download a file they can infect your device and lure in other contacts.
Ads and insecure websites
When navigating the Internet you have to be very careful with the credentials of the websites you visit. Cybercricminals insert fake ads while you navigate the web and you can accidentally enter an infected website. Super Amazon offers are one of those fake ads that user tend to click on.
Email or SMS infection
Through a simple email or SMS, the hackers can send you a message indicating a great deal for items on Amazon. They might add a compelling text that entices you to click. This is usually a scam and they’re truly after your personal data or money.
The email or SMS can be massive. The same messages reach many people at the same time. Nevertheless, sometimes they target the victim and send the email or SMS directly to your name, making it more likely that you’ll end up clicking.
Therefore, as you can see, you might encounter fake Amazon deal scams everywhere. These hacker strategies are used to steal personal data, passwords and make you download a virus. Keeping your device protected and updated is crucial to avoid Amazon scams.
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