RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — The American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) of Virginia is sending out a warning to residents of the Commonwealth about a type of scam which was reported to have taken place tens of thousands of times across the country last year.
According to Federal Trade Commission, more than 44,000 instances of alleged scammers posing as Amazon were reported in 2023, costing a total of around $19 million. AARP of Virginia says these scammers have been targeting Virginians with two new strategies.
The first strategy is several scammers contacting an Amazon customer claiming to be an Amazon representative, a bank employee and a law enforcement officer respectively.
This strategy has an advantage because it could make the victim believe they are speaking to several independent agencies confirming the same threat, but in reality, they are talking to criminals who are part of the same scheme.
The other strategy being used by scammers is contacting Amazon Prime members and asking them to renew their subscription. These scammers create realistic-looking websites in an effort to get unsuspecting people to give them their payment information.
This strategy is effective because many Amazon Prime customers are not aware of when their membership is set to expire.
When doing business online, renewing a subscription or dealing with a suspicious charge, AARP of Virginia recommends doing so on the company’s official website, instead of through any link or phone number sent over text or email.
Anyone who believes they may be dealing with a scammer or fraudster can speak with an AARP fraud specialist by calling 1-877-908-3360.
