WASHINGTON — QUESTION:
How can you tell if an email is from a scammer?
ANSWER:
One way is to hover on links to see their destination.
SOURCES:
Better Business Bureau
Amazon.com
PROCESS:
Kelsey Coleman is the Director of Communications for the Better Business Bureau serving Washington, D.C.
She said, “Every year around the holidays we see scammers getting trickier and trickier. In most cases, we see a phishing scam that comes in the form of an email. It can look like it's coming from Amazon, they're asking you either to verify a purchase, you know, change the shipping address, or change your personal information like you're your password, or they're wanting to change an address, they want you to change something and they're sending you an email, that email is asking you to log in."
Coleman says Amazon phishing scams are designed to get your Amazon login credentials so scammers can log in to your account and make purchases.
The BBB says here's how to avoid falling for email phishing scams.
Never click on links or download attachments from unknown emails. Out-of-the-blue emails are often an attempt to download malware to your computer and/or steal your personal information.
Don’t take unsolicited emails at face value. Scammers often send out mass emails that contain little or no personal information. If the email doesn’t mention you by name or include any personal information, be wary.
Hover on links to see their destination. Before clicking, place your mouse over links to discover their true destination.
Go to the source. Whenever possible, use the customer service information that was provided to you when you made your purchase, rather than searching online.
Amazon also warns about this type of scam in a video on their webpage. It says if you get any communication for an order you didn’t place, it’s likely wasn’t from Amazon.com and you should report it to them.
