How Big Is the Problem, Really?
Consumers submitted about 34,000 reports about scammers impersonating Amazon in a single year leading up to May 2024, according to the Federal Trade Commission. That’s just the reports that were actually filed. FTC complaints are considered just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the true number of scams taking place, because the vast majority of frauds are never reported to the government at all.
Fraudsters posing as representatives from Amazon and other big brand names stole over $660 million through business-impersonation schemes in 2023 alone, according to a Federal Trade Commission report. The financial damage tied specifically to Amazon impersonation reached roughly $19 million in reported losses in that same period.
Newly released FTC data show that consumers reported losing more than $12.5 billion to fraud in 2024, representing a 25% increase over the prior year. The Amazon account-locked scam is a significant driver in those numbers.
Why Amazon? Why Not Someone Else?
Scammers love to impersonate major retailers, and Amazon ranks among the most commonly targeted companies. Research suggests that Amazon scams account for around 80% of all phishing attacks impersonating major consumer brands.
The reason is straightforward. Amazon has hundreds of millions of active customers worldwide, which means that if a scammer dials random numbers and claims your “Amazon account” has a problem, there’s a very real chance the person on the other end actually has one. The odds are in the fraudster’s favor before the conversation even begins.
Amazon is among the most frequently impersonated businesses, and criminals replicate how Amazon and other businesses communicate with customers in ways that are incredibly convincing. That realism is exactly what makes the scam work.
What the Call Actually Sounds Like
There was a notable increase in phone-based Amazon scams in early 2025. In these scams, fraudsters call to claim that there are problems with your account and that you’ll lose access to it, have current orders cancelled, or be fined if you don’t act quickly to remedy the situation.
A common version of this scam starts with a call or text about a suspicious charge on your Amazon account. It’s not really Amazon. It’s a scammer with an elaborate story about fraud using your identity, one that ends with you draining your bank or retirement accounts.
These scams use tactics that scammers hope give them an advantage. Their messages look a lot like messages real companies send. They also play on your emotions: if you’re worried about a problem, it becomes harder to spot signs of a scam. They also reframe demands for money to avoid setting off alarm bells, so people who would never send money to a stranger end up emptying their accounts believing they were “protecting” their funds.
The Phone Number That Lies to You
It’s not Amazon calling. Scammers spoof their phone number to make it look like it’s Amazon. You shouldn’t trust the number in your caller ID and you shouldn’t trust what the caller tells you. Caller ID spoofing is cheap and accessible, which means the “Amazon” number displayed on your screen proves absolutely nothing.
The FTC has noted an increasingly blurred line between business and government impersonation scams, with many scammers impersonating more than one organization in a single call. For example, a fake Amazon employee might transfer you to a fake bank or even a fake FBI or FTC employee for fake help.
This layered approach, fake Amazon to fake bank to fake federal agent, is designed to feel like an escalating emergency. The more official it sounds, the harder it is to think clearly.
Phone Scams Are Growing Fast
According to Amazon, there was a 71% increase in phone-based Amazon scams from February to March of 2025 alone. That jump in a single month reflects how quickly this threat is scaling.
Phone calls made up 44% of all impersonation scam reports from UK customers in 2025, overtaking email for the first time according to Amazon’s own Scam Trends Report. Scammers primarily targeted account takeovers, frequently employing remote access techniques where fraudsters convinced consumers to install software granting control of their computers, often under the guise of resolving fake account security issues or unauthorized orders.
Many scammers impersonate Amazon customer service representatives to trick users into revealing sensitive information, and Amazon has reported a 33% increase in these scams since December 2024.
Account Takeover: The Real Goal
Around 70% of impersonation scam activities from late 2024 targeted customer account information and payment details. The locked account story is the hook. What scammers actually want is your username, password, and ideally your payment details.
Increasingly sophisticated multi-stage social engineering involving remote access requests, password reset assistance, and urgency tactics represented 28% of all reported scams in 2025. These aren’t random, clumsy attempts. They’re structured campaigns with multiple steps.
The FBI has warned about the threat of account takeover fraud, which has led to more than $262 million in reported losses in 2025 alone. Those losses touch real people, real savings, and real lives.
Amazon’s Response: Taking Down Thousands of Fake Operations
In 2024, Amazon initiated takedowns of more than 55,000 phishing websites and 12,000 phone numbers being used as part of impersonation schemes. That’s a significant enforcement effort, though the scale of the problem still clearly outpaces the cleanup.
Amazon has emphasized the significant effort and investment being put into tackling such impersonation schemes, and the potential viral threat to user accounts is taken seriously by the company.
The FTC finalized a new rule on government and business impersonation, which gives the agency stronger tools to combat and deter scammers who impersonate government agencies and businesses, enabling the FTC to file federal court cases seeking to return money to injured consumers. The legal tools are improving, even if enforcement remains a constant challenge.
Red Flags You Should Never Ignore
Key signs of a fake Amazon communication include links that don’t go to legitimate Amazon domain URLs, a sense of urgency designed to pressure you into acting quickly, and encouragement to click on buttons and links rather than visiting the Amazon website directly.
Amazon will never ask you to provide payment information, including gift cards, sometimes called “verification cards” by scammers, for products or services over the phone. Amazon will also never ask you to verify personal information over the phone. These two rules alone can protect you from a large share of scam attempts.
Scammers try to create a sense of urgency to persuade you to do what they’re asking. Be wary any time someone tries to convince you that you must act right now. That pressure is engineered, not real.
What to Do If You Get the Call
Hang up. That’s the first and most important thing. Don’t engage, don’t ask questions, and don’t try to outsmart the caller. Never share passwords, credit card details, Social Security numbers, or account information, even if the caller already knows your name or address.
Amazon will never request sensitive information outside of its own website or app. If you think the message isn’t legitimate, contact Amazon Customer Service to verify, but never use contact information provided in the suspicious message itself.
You can check your order status directly through the “Your Orders” page on Amazon.com or the Amazon Shopping app. Only legitimate purchases will appear in your order history. That simple check takes about thirty seconds and confirms everything you actually need to know.
Steps to Take If You Already Fell for It
If you typed your Amazon password and username into any sites linked to a suspicious message, or logged into your account after clicking on links or attachments, change your Amazon password immediately. Speed matters here. The sooner you act, the less damage can be done.
If you entered any credit card information or other payment details into a phishing site, contact your bank and explain what happened. Keep a close eye on your transaction history and credit card statements. Whether using a computer or a phone, download reputable antivirus software and run a scan for malware.
Two-factor authentication adds an extra layer of security by requiring a special code to be sent to your phone every time someone tries to log in. After entering your regular password, Amazon sends a unique one-time code by text or through an authenticator app. You must enter this code to complete the login, which helps ensure that only you can access your account even if someone else knows your password.
The Takeaway
There’s a reason this scam keeps working: it exploits something most of us genuinely feel when we hear the word “locked.” Concern, urgency, a reflex to fix things quickly. That instinct is human and completely understandable. Scammers count on it.
The simplest defense is also the most reliable one. When in doubt, don’t respond to the call at all. Open the Amazon app yourself, check your messages through the official Message Center, and verify from there. Real problems show up in your account. Fake ones only exist on the other end of that phone call.
Awareness, more than any piece of software, remains the sharpest tool against this kind of fraud. Share what you know, especially with family members who may be less familiar with how these calls are designed to feel so real.
AI Disclaimer: This article was created with the assistance of AI tools and reviewed by a human editor.