Feds warn Amazon customers about common scam

If you’ve ever tried to find a customer service number for companies like Amazon or Apple, well, you know just how hard it is. And so do scammers. Hey, This morning, consumer advisor Clark Howard shares the experience of one woman who thought she called Amazon and ended up talking to a criminal. Hello, this is a message in regards to Reset My Own application Voicemails about a loan you never applied for, Police impersonators threatening jail time. My name is Sergeant Lee Patterson. Criminals are constantly updating their tactics to empty your wallet. For Kathy Lunsford, it was a call she made that connected her with fraudsters after a movie she rented from Prime wouldn’t play. I thought, well, you know that that’s a waste. I’ll call Amazon and see if I can get a credit for that 599. The number she Googled turned out to be a fake. There was a number on there somewhere that said you could call and leave your name and they would call you back. The woman on the other end told Kathy there were multiple fraudulent accounts in her name. She said this is the kind of thing we have to report to the Federal Trade Commission. When she was transferred, a man claiming to be with the FTC asked Kathy for her Social Security number, which she gave him. He says this sounds like an inside job. It sounds like these people are working through the banks. Sent pictures of badges and bank accounts to prove they were legit. I just gave them more information than I should have. And when I hung up three hours later and realized what I had done, I realized I had to do something about it. She called Team Clark’s Consumer Action Center and Lori Silverman took the call. She said, you know, immediately go on and put a fraud alert on all of your accounts. I’m so glad she actually took action immediately, because that’s actually what saved her from having her entire Savings Bank account wiped out. If you need to speak to Amazon or any company, Laurie says, be careful. There’s a lot of fraudulent numbers out there. Not only did Kathy place fraud alerts on her accounts, she also froze her credit and continues to monitor her credit report. Doesn’t know people who have gotten scammed, but you never think about how it’s going to happen to you. Think about where the trouble starts. It starts with a Google search. Never, ever trust a phone number. You find on a Google search and anytime somebody’s telling you you have to do something right now, threatening you, pretending to be from law enforcement, the next thing you need to do is hang up the phone and the trouble for you will stop right then and there. I’m Clark Howard.