As you finish up your holiday shopping, be sure to stay aware, as scammers are targeting Amazon shoppers with sophisticated fake emails and texts designed to steal personal information.

The scams generally come via text or email, presenting themselves as the actual Amazon, and some are so sophisticated that it is extremely difficult to tell the difference between real and fake messages.

“Just in the last two months we’ve seen over a thousand Amazon scam sites being registered,” said Pete Nicoletti, Global Chief Security Officer at Checkpoint. “So Amazon lookalike scams, brand impersonation scams, it’s a crazy uptick.”

According to Nicoletti, one in five adults who receive the emails and texts, which often promise incredible deals or urge shoppers to resolve fake account issues, are actually clicking on the links inside.

How to Protect Yourself

Cybersecurity experts recommend taking these steps to avoid falling victim to holiday shopping scams:

• Don’t click on suspicious links: If you receive an email or text claiming to be from Amazon, go directly to the Amazon website to verify the information.
• Use strong security measures: Enable multi-factor authentication, use a password manager, and create unique passwords for your accounts.
• Report scams: Amazon encourages users to report suspicious messages at Amazon.com/reportascam.

“If you see a deal, especially if it comes in from Amazon, don’t click on that email,” Nicoletti said. “Go right to Amazon, log into that page… and look for that page directly on their website.”