Police warn public regarding scams involving Amazon’s not-so-real alerts

Release Date: November 15, 2023

Have you noticed any suspicious PDF attachments in your Microsoft Outlook recently? There has been a surge in phishing emails with PDF attachments sent to Outlook users over the last several months. Many of these emails are Amazon-themed phishing scams that are focused on targeting Outlook users in North America, Southern Europe, and Asia.

In this scam, cybercriminals are posing as Amazon support and sending notifications claiming that your Amazon account is on hold due to billing errors. The email urges you to resolve this issue by clicking a link to update your billing information. The cybercriminals cleverly hide their malicious intent behind URL shorteners and other tricks, making these unsafe links hard to spot. If you click one of these links, you’ll be sent to a fake website designed to steal your login credentials or credit card information. The PDF files attached to these phishing emails also contain malware, which can cause security risks if you download them to your device.

Follow the tips below to stay safe from similar scams:

• Always be suspicious of unexpected emails, particularly if they ask for personal or financial information.
• If you receive an email claiming that you need to verify information on your account, navigate directly to the official website instead of clicking on a link.
• This attack isn't exclusive to Outlook users. Anyone who uses email can be exploited, so be careful with the emails you receive.

Stop, look, and think. Don’t be fooled by the scammers.