MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Like the millions of people who shop online, Sue Taylor frequently orders things from Amazon.
"Very, very regularly," Taylor said. "Sometimes almost daily."
Scammers claiming to be from Amazon reached out to her saying she had "fraudulent activity" on her account and attempted to get hundreds of dollars in gift cards from her.
Taylor said the caller had all her personal information, including the last four digits of her credit card, addresses she had sent items to, and her previous purchases.
"That’s what really got me concerned because I thought well if he’s got all this information then he probably is from Amazon," Taylor said.
She said an initial red flag prior to the call was an email she received.
"Amazon had sent me information that my password had been changed and I didn’t check that," Taylor said.
They even emailed and texted her messages that looked like they came from Amazon.
Taylor said the scammers tried to persuade her to verify her identity at any local store and put money on gift cards. She didn't fall for it.
"He sent me this text and it said something about $500 and I immediately went what's this got to do with $500?" Taylor said.
Daniel Irwin, the director of public relations for the Better Business Bureau of the Mid-South, said your personal information is more valuable than cash to these scammers.
"They’re going to take that information and they’re going to sell it dozens of times to other scammers who are then going to use that to try to open up accounts in your name," Irwin said.
Irwin said Amazon rarely calls you if there's a problem with your account. While the call Taylor received wasn't from an area code she recognized, most scammers can trick you with a recognizable caller ID.
"One of the reasons why this scam works and so many people fall for it is they rely on the caller ID," Irwin said. "It’s important to remember that caller ID can be spoofed."
Taylor has since reported this to Amazon, which verified this is a scam. She also changed all her passwords.
The BBB encourages you to report any similar scams through its scam tracker so it can warn others.