Residents warned of Amazon scam calls

Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel is reissuing a consumer alert on robocalls after the Department received complaints related to calls impersonating Amazon customer service.

Michiganders should scrutinize calls alerting them to suspicious activity on their Amazon account and avoid giving out personal information if you receive one. 

“If you are contacted by an unsolicited caller asking for your personal information and if they insist there is a problem with any of your accounts—don’t fall for it,” said Nessel. “Bad actors are working overtime in an effort to bamboozle you out of your hard-earned money. If you are an Amazon customer, log in to your account directly through the mobile app or website to verify your order status or contact customer service.”

How to spot the “Amazon Scam”:

• Be skeptical of unsolicited calls.  Some departments at Amazon will call customers, but Amazon will never ask you to disclose or verify sensitive personal information or offer you a refund you do not expect. 

• Amazon will never ask you to make a payment outside of their website and will never ask you for remote access to your device.

• Amazon will never send you an unsolicited message that asks you to provide sensitive personal information.

• Any customer who receives a questionable email or call from a person impersonating an Amazon employee should report them to Amazon customer service immediately.  

• Amazon investigates these complaints and will take action, if warranted.

While the Department continues to crack down on robocalls, consumers should take these  steps to protect themselves:

• Hang up and call the company directly using a number listed on the company’s website.

• Never give personal information to someone you do not know.

• Ignore calls for immediate action; scammers try to use a sense of urgency to get you to act before you can think about what is happening. 

• Beware of requests to pay via wire transfer, prepaid debit card, gift card, or any type of payment app. 

• Report robocalls to Michigan’s Robocall Crackdown Team.

The Department of Attorney General provides a library of resources for consumers to review anytime. Nessel encourages everyone to review the Imposter Scam and Phishing Scam alerts for more information on how to protect oneself.  

Consumer complaints can be filed online at the attorney general’s website at www.michigan.gov/ag or by calling 877-765-8388.?