AN AMAZON customer has been robbed of thousands of dollars after she noticed a duplicate charge on her credit card.
Her life was thrown into chaos as she tried to get a refund – and she ended up losing her $19,000 life savings.
Colleen did what many others would do — she tried contacting the company to resolve the issue.
But instead of going directly to Amazon’s website to find the proper phone number, she ran a Google search.
She dialed a number she found via the search instead but instead of calling Amazon, she accidentally reached a scammer.
The fake agent, who went by John Davis, told Colleen her account had been compromised.
He sent Colleen fake credentials, claiming he worked for the Federal Trade Commission (FTC).
According to an article on MSN, the fake agent tricked her by sending a letter pretending to be from the FTC. The letter mentioned that her Social Security Number was linked to fraudulent activities and warned that her bank account was at risk of being emptied.
This is when Colleen started to panic.
The scammer instructed her to withdraw $19,000 from her savings in cash to address the issue.
After this, she was told to create an account on a Bitcoin ATM at a tobacco and vape shop.
Once she created the account, Colleen was sent a bar code to scan, which allowed her to deposit $15,000.
The Knoxville native also visited two clothing stores in the area and purchased $4,000 in gift cards before sending Davis her card numbers.
In response, Davis provided a forged “receipt” for the $19,000 she had in savings and falsely assured Colleen that she would receive a refund once the FTC completed their investigation.
Davis also warned Colleen not to tell anyone about details of the situation.
Thankfully, Colleen has a support system who are doing their best to help her out after this financial fiasco.
Bank tips for avoiding scams
As scams become more sophisticated with the use of artificial intelligence, it is important you know how to spot a scam:
- Be skeptical of online deals that seem too good to be true, especially on social media.
- Scammers will often use tactics to make you panicked so you make quick decisions – be cautious if you are told to take immediate action and verify who has contacted you.
- Chase Bank warns customers to “never return any unexpected funds without calling Chase first.”
- Never send money to someone you have only spoken to online or by phone as this is likely a romance scam.
- Unless you 100% know who you are talking to, never give someone remote access to your device.
- Never accept help from strangers at an ATM and always be vigilant when making withdrawals.
- Do not send money or click any links indicating that you have won a prize.
Source: Chase.com
To avoid scammers, Amazon recommends going to the company’s site directly to find a relevant phone number or email.
The company has noted a spike in Amazon scams in particular.
Last December, the company released a statement addressing the situation and how to avoid scammers and scam calls/texts.
The scammers take advantage of busy shopping seasons by pretending to be Amazon in deceptive emails, calls, or text messages. They claim there are issues with the recipient’s account or recent purchases to deceive them.
“In November, we saw 94% of scams use these three main methods to contact consumers and 66% of the scams were geared towards an account issue. These messages aim to pressure you into sharing sensitive information like passwords or payment details.”
They also recommend customers report any such messages to Amazon’s customer service representative.
Amazon did not respond to The U.S. Sun’s request for comment.
