Amazon Sounds Alarm: 300 Million Users Warned of Impersonation Scams

As the global shopping frenzy of Black Friday ramps up, Amazon has issued an urgent security alert — warning over 300 million active customers to stay vigilant against a rising wave of impersonation scams.

What Amazon Is Warning About

In a message sent November 24, Amazon cautioned that cybercriminals are increasingly masquerading as Amazon employees, delivery agents or bargain advertisers in a bid to trick people into handing over sensitive personal or financial information.

Red-flag scenarios highlighted by Amazon include:

• Fake “delivery problem” or “account issue” notifications.
• Ads or social-media offers promising “too-good-to-be-true” Black Friday deals via third-party websites.
• Unofficial messages (via email, phone or browser notifications) requesting payment or login credentials.
• Unsolicited tech-support calls asking to “fix” account issues or verify payment info.

Amazon emphasizes that it will never ask customers to provide payment or login details through phone, email or text.

Amazon is sending fake delivery notifications – this needs to stop
byu/Alternative-Wish9912 inassholedesign

The Scale and Why This Matters

With around 310 million active users in 2025, Amazon’s vast customer base makes it a prime target for scammers, especially during high-traffic periods such as Black Friday.

According to security researchers at FortiGuard Labs, the last few months have seen a surge in suspicious domain registrations tied to holiday-themed scams. Over 18,000 domains with names referencing Black Friday, Christmas or Flash Sales were registered of which at least 750 were confirmed malicious.

Additionally, more than 19,000 imitator domains trying to mimic major retailers (like Amazon) were observed — nearly 2,900 of them flagged as malicious.

Experts suggest that advances in artificial intelligence make these scams more convincing than ever, allowing fraudsters to generate fake order confirmations, personalized phishing emails, even spoofed support-calls all in the click of a button.

Amazon’s Advice: Stay Alert, Stay Safe

To help customers avoid falling victim, Amazon recommends:

• Use only the official Amazon app or website for account activity, order tracking or customer service.
• Enable two-factor authentication (2FA) or when available, use passkeys for added security.
• Don’t trust unsolicited emails, calls or messages asking for payment, gift-cards or account verification especially via external links.
• Always double-check your order history before clicking a link in a suspicious message claiming there’s a problem.

Why This Warning Matters for Shoppers Everywhere

This alert comes at a time when shoppers especially those outside major markets may already be dealing with uncertainty around cross-border shipping, unverified sellers, or confusing delivery tracking. For users anywhere in the world, these scams pose a serious risk: from identity theft to financial fraud.

With the holiday sales season near, scammers often exploit fear, urgency and shoppers’ eagerness for deals. Amazon’s warning serves as a timely reminder that cyber-hygiene should be a priority, especially when “deals” appear too good to be true.