Amazon Prime account renewal phone call scam: what to watch out for

An Amazon Prime scam that is costing people thousands of pounds has prompted warnings.
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The scam, which has been taking place since early this month, involves an individual receiving an unexpected phone call saying that they have been hacked and signed up for an Amazon Prime account.

They are told that if they press 1 on their phone handset, they will be connected to an ‘account manager’, who will allow them to cancel the payment. But the person on the other end is really a fraudster claiming to be an expert who can cancel the payment if they have access to your bank account.

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On top of that, pressing 1 will connect you to a premium rate number, which you will be charged for while you are on the phone.

The scam is telling people that they have been hacked and signed up to an Amazon Prime account.The scam is telling people that they have been hacked and signed up to an Amazon Prime account.
The scam is telling people that they have been hacked and signed up to an Amazon Prime account.

One victim conned out of thousands

A report in the Guardian said one elderly victim was conned out of £25,000 last month.

Members of the public have been putting the word put about the scam, posting warnings on social media.

One Twitter user wrote, “Just putting out there the latest attempted phone call scam I had yesterday. Something about my Amazon account being hacked. Didn't pay that much attention as I have never dealt with Amazon, & shall not be changing that. Makes a change from my internet connection being in danger.”

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And another posted, "Anyone else had a phone call from Amazon saying about renewing their Prime service? I'm assuming it's a scam."

Amazon response

An Amazon spokesperson said to North Wales Live, "We take phishing and spoofing attempts on our customers seriously, and will never call a customer for payment outside of our website."

The Amazon website states, "If you receive a suspicious phone call claiming to be from Amazon and asking for payment or offering a refund you do not expect, please do not share any personal information, and disconnect immediately."