- 200 million Amazon Prime — subscribers got a warning -e -mail about fraud
- Most attacks centered around false price increases
- Social Engineering is an attacker’s best friend
With Amazon Prime Day now behind us, Malwarebytes has revealed new research showing that old trends are repeating themselves – every year we see an increase in fraud and attacks on unsuspecting victims, and 2025 was no different.
This year, about 200 million prime customers received warnings from the company about ongoing attacks, with some practical tips on what to look for.
“Scammers send fake E emails claiming that your Amazon Prime subscription is automatically renewed at an unexpected price,” the company said.
Amazon Prime Day Scams
By getting genuine subscribers to believe that costs are rising, attackers are able to suggest a feeling of urgent nature as many seek to prevent price increases or cancel completely. Customized and Personal Information IE emails, such as a user’s name, can also help emulate authenticity.
In many cases, attackers include a link to a page for victims to cancel their subscription or change account settings, leading them to a lookalike place where they enter their credentials. Some cases also saw attackers directly victims to sites that provide malicious payloads, including malware that could put far more than just their Amazon accounts at risk.
“The fake site may also request payment information and other personal details that, when entered, will go directly to the scammer who will be quick to use or sell them on,” Malwarebytes continued.
False messages about renewals of primary membership, Bogus Refund offer and call that Amazon accounts have been hacked were among the most popular scenarios Amazon workers were forced to tackle during this month’s Prime Day sale.
Fortunately, the same advice still applies when it comes to protecting accounts because social technology remains the most effective attack vector.
Some common steps include checking the sender’s email address against a confirmed list that enables two-step verification on accounts, does not repeat passwords in multiple accounts and do not follow links unless absolutely necessary.
Amazon also repeats its messages in the Message Center, so if only one message is received via E -mail, this may be a sign of an attack.
