Many of us will be looking online for Christmas gifts or Boxing Day sales bargains this festive season. But while online shopping has plenty of upsides, it also makes you a potential target of unscrupulous scammers.
As the UK enters one of the busiest online shopping periods of the year, Amazon is urgently warning customers to be alert of scams in a bid to stop people's personal details from being stolen. The global retail giant is a top target for scammers because of its popularity - especially at this festive time when more unsuspecting shoppers are online.
Common scams include fake correspondence like text messages or emails and even imitation websites. These are used to trick shoppers who think they're dealing with Amazon into giving their personal data and bank details - or in some cases, install malware, reports StokeonTrentLive.
READ MORE: Amazon customers given urgent warning over fake text scam
Most commonly, people are sent fake messages or emails claiming they need to confirm details before a product they've supposedly ordered can be shipped, according to Amazon. If you get an unexpected message or don't remember ordering something, you can verify your purchases by logging into your account.
But make sure you type the website in yourself and log in that way - never follow any links in a suspicious message. Only legitimate orders will appear in your Amazon order history.
Another sign of a scam is a message conveying false urgency. Scammers can try to create a sense of panic to trick users into following their instructions faster, so if you get a message warning you to 'act now', 'act fast' or similar, be careful.
Shoppers are also warned that hackers have been setting up fake website posing as tech support. You should only access these services through the official Amazon app or Amazon.co.uk website, as scammers use fake websites to trick people into installing malware on their devices or steal their personal data.
Amazon says its customer service team is available 24/7 if you're unsure about something or have any account issues. There is also a 'help' section on the website where Amazon responds to customer queries.
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