Common scams that may involve Amazon gift cards or other gift card brands sold by Amazon

Store bought gift card package tampering Fraudsters may attempt to access a gift card’s claim code prior to activation, and then attempt to claim the card for themselves once it’s been purchased and activated by a customer. Prior to purchasing an Amazon gift card from a physical store, carefully inspect the packaging for any signs of tampering or attempted tampering. Do not purchase the card if it looks like someone has already opened or attempted to open and then re-sealed it.

Making payments to strangers scams You receive an unsolicited email or phone call from an individual claiming to be a solicitor / the police or other representative for a grandson, niece or other family member in distress who needs your help straight away. Some callers attempt to impersonate the family member directly. Victims are instructed to purchase Amazon Gift Cards and provide the codes by phone or email. In other cases, victims are told that their computer files or internet viewing activity has been captured and to recover the files, a payment must be made using Amazon Gift Cards. These are scams. If you get a call from a relative in trouble, we suggest hanging up and trying to contact that person on a number that you know is really theirs. You should always be suspicious of anyone that contacts you and demands money quickly.

Fake online listings scam You find lower priced listings such as concert or event tickets, a vehicle, pet, rental property by creating a sense of crisis. They ask you to make payment using Amazon.com or other branded gift cards sold on Amazon and to provide your claim codes via email or phone. This is a scam. A legitimate transaction using Amazon gift cards can only be completed through our checkout page and will never occur off Amazon.com.

Job offer scam You may see Amazon jobs advertised with flexible, work from home option on a third party website. They make the offer and instruct you to pay the full item price or job starter kit fee using Amazon.com or other branded gift cards sold on Amazon. This is a scam. Amazon job opportunities will never require you to purchase equipment or pay any initiation fees.

Unsolicited phone call or email claiming to be Amazon You may receive an unsolicited call from someone stating they are a member of Amazon Customer Service. They may say your account is frozen and you need to purchase Amazon.com or other branded gift cards and provide the claim codes over the phone in order to remove the freeze on your account. They might also ask for your Amazon password, full credit card ID or bank account number. This is a scam. Amazon will not call you asking for sensitive information or request gift cards purchase.

Boss scam Scammer poses as a leader from your company claiming they need you to purchase gift cards on their behalf. Always check directly with the leader via a different communication method to confirm this is legitimate before continuing.

Email, text or fake survey scams Surveys requesting you to input personal details including banking information in return for a gift card are common scams. Genuine third party surveys authorized to distribute gift cards in return for completed surveys will never ask you for sensitive personal information.

Tech scam You are setting up your prime video on your TV and go to register your amazon account when a code shows up to go to our website www.amazon.com/mytv . At times, search engine results will show up with many links that look like Amazon links, show an error code when clicked and provide a contact number for assistance. Or you receive a phone call or search the internet and get a fake Amazon number. They will ask you to download and request access to third-party remote access applications like Teamviewer, Anydesk, etc. to help or even provide offer a 3-5 year Amazon Prime membership. This is a scam. Amazon will not ask for remote access to your personal device in order to assist registering your account to your device.

Blackmail scam You are being blackmailed by someone wherein you are asked to make Gift Card purchases by a person online who is threatening to share sensitive information/content on social media platforms or with the customer’s family members.