Amazon Prime customers have been warned about a scam which aims to gain access to their devices. Fraudsters have been impersonating Amazon in order to gain access to customers' devices and take personal information, such as bank details, consumer rights website Which? has reported.
The scammers are said to call customers out of the blue from an unrecognised number and tell them that their Amazon Prime subscription is going up in price or is about to expire, the Liverpool Echo reports. If a customer tells the scammer they want to cancel their subscription, they will be put through to another fraudster.
The customer will then be told to download a remote access software on their device. Which? says that this is typically an app called AnyDesk, a genuine programme. However, fraudsters sometime use the software to exploit their victims.
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When a customer downloads the program, the scammer has access to the device, allowing them to steal personal information from it and install malware software. The victim is at risk of losing money and personal details.
If the fraudster has accessed a customer's device via the remote access software, the session should be ended as soon as possible. This can be done by pressing the 'disconnect session' button, or something similar, or by turning off the device and wifi to stop the scammer.
Once the device is switched back on, the software can be removed by looking at the recent downloads folder. Victims of such scams should also contact their bank immediately as this could also have been accessed by the scammer. On its website, Which? said: "Amazon confirmed to Which? that it will never ask customers to provide remote access to their devices or make any payments outside of its website."
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