The Takoma Park Police Department is warning residents of a scam involving phone calls from someone claiming to be an Amazon employee.
“We have received information that a resident has been contacted by phone by an unknown person purporting to be from Amazon,” reads an emailed Community Advisory. “The caller indicated that the resident had suspicious activity on their account and they could help them fix the issue if they logged in to their account with the caller. The resident did not do that. Another way the Amazon scam works is through robocalls.
“While some of Amazon’s departments do call customers, the retailer will never ask you to disclose or verify sensitive personal information or offer a refund that you do not expect. Amazon suggests protecting your online account with a two-step verification system.
“The best advice is not to trust that any incoming calls are coming from the number showing on your caller ID. If you aren’t sure, hang up and log on to your account to find the company’s customer service number.”
The Community Advisory also offers the following tips:
- Do not respond to any incoming robocalls claiming to be from Amazon or another trusted brand. And don’t follow instructions to press 1 or call another number.
- Be suspicious of robocalls or other communications with bad grammar or stilted language.
- If you have concerns about your Amazon account, hang up on the robocall and log in to your Amazon and relevant credit card account to check for suspicious charges.
TPPD also reminds everyone to be cautious who they talk to and to never blindly give personal information or money to anyone.
Photo: “The scam truck” by jepoirrier is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0