Fraudsters are targeting sellers in various emails purporting to be from Amazon or its supposed partners. Phishing emails are nothing new, but they may be ramping up for the holidays.
Here are two emails that readers forwarded to us in the past two days to warn other sellers. The first seller said the email he received looked official with all the Amazon logos but was not sent from an Amazon address. "Please warn everyone not to click on anything in this email," they advised:
Greetings from Amazon
We have placed a hold on your Amazon account and all pending orders.
We took this action the billing information you provided did not match the information on file with the card issuer.
To resolve this issue, please verify now with the billing name, address, and telephone number registered to your payment card. if you have recently moved, you may need to update this information with the card issuer.
Verify Now
If we are unable to complete the verification process within 3 days, all pending orders will be cancelled. You will not be able to access your account until this process has been completed.
We ask that you not open new accounts as any new order you place may be delayed.
We appreciate your patience with our security measures.
Thank you for your concern.
Sincerely,
Amazon Services Team
The second reader said the email he received purported to be from Synchrony Bank with the subject line, "A Trial Deposit Has Been Successfully Made to Your AMAZON CREDITBUILDER". He wasn't sure if it was a phishing email or a glitch (see update below), but said he had not ordered anything from Amazon in over a year and had great credit with a credit score over 770, so wasn't in need of such a service:
A Trial Deposit Has Been Successfully Made to Your AMAZON CREDITBUILDER
Note: This email was sent to you by Synchrony Bank, the issuer of your AMAZON CREDITBUILDER Account. You may receive account servicing emails even if you have requested not to receive marketing offers by email for your AMAZON CREDITBUILDER Account. Synchrony Bank is located at 170 Election Road, Suite 125, Draper, Utah, 84020, USA.
This is an unmonitored email box. Please do not reply to this email.
Head off identity theft before it happens. For more information about identity theft, please visit the Federal Trade Commission's (FTC) consumer website at www.ftc.gov/idtheft/.
It's a good reminder to stay alert especially with all of the distractions this busy Thanksgiving holiday week.
On Monday, November 25, 2019, some customers received an email or text message from us regarding a "trial deposit has been successfully made" or "action required on your application" in error.
We have confirmed no personal data was compromised. We apologize for the error and regret any concerns this may have caused. We are taking action to ensure this cannot happen again.
If you received one of these emails or text messages, please disregard it and no further action is required.
We sincerely thank you for your patience and understanding.