Caution! Fraudulent sellers on Amazon!

The Internet Watchlist warns of criminals taking over Amazon retailer accounts

They advertise cheap products and encourage buyers to write them an email. The fraudsters send fake Amazon messages and demand a money transfer abroad. The goods are not available and the money paid is lost.

Criminals take over merchant accounts, for example using fake Amazon phishing emails . They use the hijacked accounts so that they can advertise cheap products in the Amazon Marketplace. They are well below the usual market price. This is shown by a price comparison on portals such as geizhals.at or idealo.at . Consumers who want to buy the cheap goods should contact the retailer via a private email address.

For example, you will find the note in the provider name: “Before you place an order, contact me at [email protected] ”.

Fake Amazon order confirmation

If buyers write to the fraudulent retailers, they are told that the goods are available and receive a fake Amazon order confirmation. It looks deceptively real and can mainly be recognized by the fake email address:

In this case example, the return address of the fake Amazon order confirmation is “ [email protected] ”. It is not owned by Amazon and was registered in Canada through an anonymization service.

Money transfer abroad

An invoice follows shortly after consumers receive the fake order confirmation. It requests that customers transfer the purchase price to a foreign account.

Our department has requested that the payment process be carried out by bank transfer to our Amazon payment account. Amazon secures payment until the buyer receives, inspects and accepts the item(s). Otherwise, Amazon will refund the payment to the buyer.

Make a payment of xxx before the due date xx/xx/2018 to the following Amazon payment account:

Transfer details:

Amazon Agent / Account Holder: xxxxxx xxxxxx
Bank Name: BCR
IBAN Account Number: RO 03RNCB 0200 0561 3021 0001
BIC/SWIFT; RNCBROBU

You must validate your payment by sending an order confirmation to the following address: [email protected] .

The payment request pretends that it comes from Amazon and looks real:

Buyers who transfer the money to a foreign account lose it because the cheap goods are not available for it.

How do you recognize fraudulent Amazon listings?

You can recognize merchant accounts that have been hijacked by criminals because, among other things, they advertise conspicuously cheap products. If you are interested in them, you should write to the fraudsters using a third-party email address. It creates an Amazon connection that doesn't exist.

You receive an invoice asking you to transfer money to a private individual's foreign account. The letters you receive from the fraudsters are incorrect and have not been proofread.

Have you been a victim?

If you transferred the money to a foreign account, contact your bank. Clarify with her whether it is possible for you to have the purchase price refunded. Do the same with the fraudsters' bank. File a criminal complaint with the police and discuss further action with them.

The Internet Watchlist recommends:

Do not purchase from Amazon retailers that require you to write to them using your private email address. This is the beginning of a scam that will result in you losing money and not receiving any goods!