It’s not legit…but it does look convincing!
You receive what looks like an email from Amazon Web Services, with some dire message that asks for your attention now.
And if you were not really paying attention to the small details you might think this was actually from AWS and you’d better take action.
Yet, it’s those small details that give it away.
The “Dear customer”! With customer spelled with lower case “c” or that customer should be your actual name.
And if that doesn’t phase you, then the slight grammatical error in the bullet point…”if the problem does not resolved within 5 days…” probably won’t raise a red flag either.
But if you’re keeping up with all things GDPR (that’s the EU’s newest directive to help privacy across the globe) then you might notice that the whole email is a scam.
You see, due to the regulations of GDPR, the identities of website owners are no longer displayed on the WHOIS directory.
Essentially rendering checking your current data a useless endeavor.
Hey, 3 stars for trying.
Or not.
The email looks authentic enough to fool the average person.
And that’s how the scammers end up with your data.
So, read the email…educate yourself on these scams and never, ever click a link in an email if you are unsure about who sent it.
So what does Amazon say about this email?
Suspicious Emails
If you receive an email purporting to be from Amazon and you aren’t sure if it’s legitimate, it may be a phishing email. Phishing emails look like they come from a reputable source, but in reality they come from a malicious person trying to trick you into opening an attachment or clicking on a link.
Some phishing e-mails contain a link to a website that looks like Amazon.com, but is not our site. The website may ask you for your Amazon username and password or try to install unwanted software on your computer in an attempt to steal your personal information or access your computer. Other e-mails contain links that may redirect you to other potentially dangerous websites.
The email may also include attachments, which typically contain malware that will be installed on your computer. If you received a message like this, you should delete it without clicking any links or opening any attachments.
If you wish to report an e-mail purporting to be from Amazon that you believe is a forgery, you may do so here: Report suspicious e-mails to Amazon. You may also forward phishing emails and other suspected forgeries directly to stop-spoofing@amazon.com.
Oh, and had you clicked the link, it went to a foreign website that most likely you would have handed over your information and allowed some stranger access to your website. Don’t be fooled by these scam emails…look at the clues. And, if you don’t think it’s legit delete the email. If you do think it’s legit, have a coworker, a friend or someone who understands how to track emails look it over. Stay safe.
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Rob is affectionately known as “Mr. Sarcasm” to his friends - to everyone else he’s a Certified Digital Marketing Strategist, a Foremost Expert On Specialized SEO, a Best Selling Author, Podcaster, Speaker and Authority Broadcaster who can help amplify YOU to your audience.
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Hey Rob,
This is one of these emails that actually looks pretty legit , at first sight.
So how do I know if it’s from amazon? I always thought the email from address could not be faked.
Unfortunately I clicked one of them on my phone. Not sure if that was bad or not,
Guess I’ll update my passwords again.
Alef – thanks for stopping by and commenting. Unfortunately, reply to email addresses can be spoofed so it’s always good to look at the full tracking of the message and where it was sent from. That’s not always easy from a mobile device. And if using Outlook from Microsoft they tend to not always show the tracking information of where the sent emails originated from. Stay Safe. – Rob