As Amazon impersonation scams become more sophisticated, even cautious consumers are being caught off guard. Dorian Jones was one of them.
The 70-year-old retired charity volunteer believed he was taking the right precautions when someone claiming to work for Amazon called about suspicious purchases on his account. Skeptical at first, he questioned the caller. But after a second person phoned to "verify" the employee's identity, he believed the call was legitimate.
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"It was so authentic. He got the better of me," Jones told the BBC (1), adding that the scam had him "hook, line and sinker."
Believing he was dealing with legitimate Amazon staff, Jones followed their instructions, allowing the scammers to steal 1,800 pounds (over $2,400 USD) (2) from two of his bank accounts through 12 separate transactions.
Jones said the callers appeared to know extensive details about his life, including his family. They also repeatedly urged him to hang up and reconnect, claiming scammers were "listening in" on the call.
At one point, the caller warned that Jones' IP address had been compromised and his phone was no longer secure, convincing him he was speaking with someone trying to protect him.
"My wife was shouting in the background, 'Dorian this isn't right.' He caught me off guard," Jones told the BBC.
His experience reflects a broader trend. According to the Federal Trade Commission (3), nearly 96,000 consumers reported being targeted by Amazon impersonators over a one-year period, with almost 6,000 saying they lost money.
Those victims reported more than $27 million in losses, with the typical victim losing about $1,000. Adults 60 and older were especially vulnerable, with older consumers more than four times as likely as younger people to report losing money. Their median reported loss was $1,500, compared with $814 for victims under 60.
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Amazon is a familiar name in millions of households, making it a frequent target for impersonation scams.
"We have been in contact with Mr. Jones to help further secure his account," an Amazon spokesperson told Moneywise.
The spokesperson warned that scammers may contact consumers by email, phone or text and demand payment for supposed items or services. They may also create a false sense of urgency to pressure victims into acting before they have time to question the request.
"We encourage consumers to report suspected scams to us so that we can protect their accounts and refer bad actors to law enforcement to help keep them safe," the spokesperson said.
If you get a suspicious call, hang up and contact the company (4) directly through its official website or app.
Never download unfamiliar software or grant someone remote access to your computer or phone.
Avoid clicking unexpected links in emails or text messages, and do not scan unsolicited QR codes.
Be suspicious of unexpected requests for money or personal information, especially when someone pressures you to act immediately (5).
Older adults can be especially vulnerable to impersonation scams. Social isolation can make it harder to recognize a scam or quickly check a suspicious request with someone they trust, according to Psychology Today (6).
Consider discussing common scam tactics with older loved ones, particularly those who live alone. Encourage them to contact a trusted friend or family member before responding to unexpected requests for money, passwords or other personal information.
If you think you've been targeted by a scam, contact your bank or credit card provider immediately to secure your accounts and change the passwords for any affected accounts. You can also report the incident to the Federal Trade Commission through ReportFraud.ftc.gov (7) or, if it happened online, to the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) (8).
Keeping tabs on your finances is one of the simplest ways to catch suspicious activity early. But there's a limit to how much monitoring one person can realistically do — especially when scammers are getting better at making fraudulent calls, and messages look like the real thing.
Fraudsters can pull together publicly available information, spoof legitimate phone numbers and use AI to make messages sound polished and professional. This can make a scam feel less like a random phishing attempt and more like a routine customer-service interaction. And that's increasingly the challenge for older Americans like Dorian Jones.
The more convincing scams become, the more useful it can be to have safeguards working in the background. Platforms like Aura let you manage device and identity protection in one place.
Aura's AI-powered platform is designed to help protect your household from identity theft, phishing attempts, scams and malware across multiple connected devices. It can even alert you to potential fraud up to 650 times faster than traditional monitoring tools.
Aura also monitors spending activity for unusual transactions and can notify you when something looks out of the ordinary. If identity theft does occur, eligible users may qualify for up to $1 million in coverage for certain losses and related fees.
Getting started is quick and easy. Plus, you could save up to 68% if you sign up today — and Aura even offers a 60-day money-back guarantee if you're not satisfied.
— With files from Victoria Vesovski
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BBC (1); Wise (2); Federal Trade Commission (3); Federal Trade Commission (4); Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (5); Psychology Today (6); Federal Trade Commission (7); FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center (8)
This article provides information only and should not be construed as advice. It is provided without warranty of any kind.