Amazon Impersonation Scams
Fraudsters impersonate Amazon with fake order confirmations, account-suspension warnings, and call-centre scams to steal payment details or gain remote access to devices.
Last reviewed: 1 June 2026
Amazon is one of the world's largest e-commerce platforms, and many people have active Amazon accounts and make frequent purchases. This makes Amazon impersonation particularly effective — a message about a suspicious order or a suspended account feels directly relevant to many people.
Common approaches include phishing emails about orders you did not place, calls claiming your Amazon account has been compromised, and fake Amazon Prime renewal notices designed to frighten you into handing over payment details.
Amazon is the victim of this impersonation. Understanding the clear lines Amazon does not cross helps you distinguish the fake from the genuine.
How scammers impersonate it
- Sending emails with Amazon branding about a large order you did not place
- Calling and claiming to be Amazon customer service about suspicious activity or a fraudulent Prime charge
- Creating phishing pages that copy the Amazon sign-in interface
- Sending texts about account suspension that direct to fake Amazon login pages
- Using Amazon's logo, colour scheme, and order-confirmation email style
- Claiming your Prime membership has been charged an inflated renewal fee
What the real organisation never does
- Call you unsolicited and ask you to install remote-access software
- Ask for gift cards as payment for a refund or to resolve a billing problem
- Ask you to provide your payment card details over the phone to a caller who contacted you first
- Threaten immediate arrest or legal action for a fraudulent order
- Ask you to move money to a 'safe account' to protect it
- Request your Amazon password over the phone
Common red flags
- Call about an order or charge you do not recognise, creating urgency
- Request to install remote-access software to process a refund
- Request for gift cards as a refund mechanism — this is always a scam
- Email sender domain is not amazon.com or a verified Amazon regional domain
- Sign-in link in an email that does not match amazon.com
- Caller asks for your full payment card number
- Threat of legal consequences unless you act immediately
Sanitized example messages
Illustrative, sanitized examples. Personal details are replaced with placeholders such as [phone number] and [fake link].
Email: 'Order confirmation: [item] for [amount]. If this was not you, call us at [phone number] immediately.'
Call: 'This is Amazon — your account shows a suspicious charge of [amount]. To cancel it, I need remote access to your computer.'
Text: 'Amazon: Your account has been locked due to unusual activity. Verify at [fake link] within 12 hours.'
How to verify
- Log in to your Amazon account directly at amazon.com or via the official app to check your order history
- Amazon order confirmation emails link to amazon.com — verify any link before clicking
- Contact Amazon only through the Help section on the official Amazon website or app
- Never install remote-access software at the request of any caller who contacted you first
- Gift cards are never a legitimate refund or payment method from Amazon
What to do if you're targeted
- If you received a suspicious call, hang up and check your Amazon account directly
- Report the scam to Amazon through the 'Report suspicious communications' page on amazon.com
- If you installed remote-access software, disconnect from the internet, run a security scan, and change your passwords
- Contact your bank if payment details were shared
Frequently asked questions
I received an email about an order I did not place — should I call the number in it?
No. Log in to your Amazon account directly to check your order history. If nothing unusual appears, the email was a phishing attempt. Do not call any number in the email.
Amazon said they would refund me via gift card — is that normal?
No. Amazon does not issue refunds via gift cards. If someone claiming to be Amazon asked you to buy gift cards, that is a scam.
I gave remote access to someone claiming to be Amazon. What do I do?
Disconnect from the internet immediately, run a full security scan, change all passwords from a different device, and contact your bank to monitor for fraudulent transactions.