Millions of Amazon customers across the UK are being urged to exercise extreme caution when answering unsolicited phone calls, following a stark warning from consumer champion Which? about a highly effective new fraud tactic.
The 'One-Time Passcode' Scam Explained
This sophisticated scam begins with a phone call from a criminal impersonating an Amazon employee. The fraudster often possesses personal details like your name, phone number, and email address, likely obtained from previous data breaches, which lends an air of legitimacy to their call.
The caller will falsely claim that your Amazon account has been used to make several high-value purchases. To 'resolve' this fabricated issue, they inform you that Amazon will send a text message containing a one-time passcode (OTP) to your mobile device.
Which? experts clarify that while the text message is genuinely from Amazon, it has been triggered by the scammer attempting to log into your account or change your password. In the panic of the moment, victims are tricked into reading out this passcode, handing criminals the final key to your account.
How Criminals Lock You Out and Drain Funds
Once the fraudster has this verification code, they can bypass security measures and gain full control of your Amazon account. From there, they can access stored payment card details and make purchases in your name, rapidly draining linked bank accounts. Victims are often left helpless, locked out of their own accounts as the crime unfolds.
This 'one-time passcode' exploitation is not exclusive to Amazon. Security specialists note that similar platforms, including Very and Klarna, are also being targeted using comparable methods.
Amazon's Official Advice and How to Respond
In a statement to Which?, an Amazon spokesperson said: "Scammers that attempt to impersonate Amazon put consumers at risk, and we will continue to invest in protecting consumers and educating the public on scam avoidance." The spokesperson emphasised a critical rule: "Amazon will never contact you first to ask you for your password, verification passcodes or security question."
If you receive a suspicious call, you should:
- Hang up immediately.
- Report the scam call by forwarding the number to 7726 from your mobile.
- Contact Amazon directly through the official app or website if you have concerns about your account.
If you have lost money, act swiftly: call your bank using the number on the back of your card and report the crime to Action Fraud (or Police Scotland on 101 if you are in Scotland).
This alert comes alongside a separate cybersecurity warning for WhatsApp users about a stealthy 'GhostPairing' threat, discovered by firm Avast, which can leave devices compromised for months undetected.
