Everything can be touched by scammers these days – that’s why always being aware when you’re online is so important. I could write an article about scamming every day. You even have to be careful when you’re watching streaming services. Scammers are now taking advantage of the Amazon Prime Video warning prompt.
Also read:4 Things to Do Immediately if You Have Been Scammed
Scammers Deceiving Amazon Prime Video Users
An Amazon Prime Video user who fell victim to scammers is speaking out on their experience after losing $699. When trying to use the service, they received a prompt titled, “Internet Connectivity Problem,” but the Internet not quickly connecting was not their problem.
The way the scammers got through came down to the way the user entered an URL. Amazon recommends going to a URL from the prompt if restarting your computer doesn’t help with your Internet connection. If the user had entered the URL from the prompt into their web browser, they would have landed on the official Amazon support page.
Instead, the user entered the URL into Google search. This allows scammers to create a fake landing page that spoofs the real thing – in this case, Amazon Prime Video. Scammers can optimize the fake page so that it will show up toward the top of the search engine results.
The user clicked on a non-Amazon URL, www.gjit/tvmounting.php, connected to a domain claiming to be a website development service. This website asks users to enter a code shown on their device to register it with Prime. It certainly seems real.
A fake 1-888 number on the page claims to be for Amazon support. If you enter the code, you’ll be taken to a page that reads, “Congratulations! Click here to activate Prime.” While it looks like Amazon, the URL doesn’t relate back to Amazon and doesn’t even include the word.
If you click on “Activation Prime,” you’re taken to another page suggesting you call the “Prime Support” 1-888 number for “account validation.” Whichever point you decide to call the number, the scammers ask you to subscribe to a new $699 lifetime plan to activate Amazon Prime Video. This is not even a real option with Amazon. The fake email attached to this scam is “Amazonvideo@gmail.com.”
The victim in this particular story paid the fee through PayPal. They contacted both the payment service and their credit company when going through this rouse did not fix the issue. They determined they were being scammed, despite the bad actors calling them to convince them this was legitimate.
How Not to Be Scammed
It’s important to know that if you fall victim to this Amazon Prime Video rouse and provide a TV activation code, it doesn’t reveal any of your information to the scammers. This code is used just to make the process seem real.
No matter what you enter for the code, you’ll land on a website that will inform you there’s been an error, instructing you to call the 1-888 number. This is where the true harm comes in, as the person on the phone tricks you into paying the $699. The scam is not stealing information – it’s simply stealing your money.
Of course, the real lesson here is not that there are Amazon Prime Video scammers trying to steal your money. The lesson is that there are scammers trying to steal your money. This could happen to any online service and, in fact, happened with YouTube as well.
Always check the URLs of the pages you are directed to and always enter URLs directly into your web browser. Make sure you land on an official website for a service before you call a number.
Not so surprisingly, there are many Facebook scams as well. Read on to learn how to avoid Facebook Marketplace scams. If you are, unfortunately, scammed, check out the four things you should do immediately.
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