TULSA, Okla. — Scammers will use whatever is going on in your life to catch you off guard and take your money, including times when you're trying to save the most.
Just in the last few days, more folks than you can probably count took to shopping during Amazon Prime Day, taking advantage of big discounts, only to find scammers trying to take advantage of them.
Janeen, a mother of three, from Tulsa tells us, "I found a lot of deals for my kids on Amazon last week, for back to school and for Christmas. Then, I got an email saying there's something wrong with my account, and I certainly didn't want to lose out on the great prices on items I had ordered."
The email says, "Oh no. Your account is on hold due to a billing issue."
It says you have only days to update your payment information. The scammers, experts say, hope you instinctively click on the provided link.
"The link can take you to a false website requesting personal, identifying information, or the link can release malware into your phone or computer,” says Angie Barnett, with the Better Business Bureau.
Those cybercrooks provide just enough information to make you think it's actually from a reputable company, in this case, Amazon.
"That malware is designed to capture your information and passwords from keystrokes," Barnett says.
As for Janeen, got suspicious when the scammers wanted so many details. Plus, she noticed, that the email was sent to 100 recipients — a sure-fire red flag.
"Something in my gut felt like this just wasn't right," Janeen says. "So I stopped before giving away my information."
Experts say you should pay attention to that gut instinct when something seems odd, and look for spelling and grammatical errors.
If you have questions, contact the company's customer service department directly, by looking up the contact information on its official website. Do not call a number or use a link provided in the suspicious email.
Contact the Problem Solvers:
- 918-748-1502
- problemsolvers@kjrh.com
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