Warning as £400k lost in Amazon Prime scam
Hinckley police have issued warning after incidents
ACTION Fraud has issued a warning over calls from criminals claiming to be from Amazon Prime, a scam which has already seen victims lose more than £400,000.
Hinckley police have also issued a warning after receiving reports from concerned residents.
The scam involves an automated call stating they have been charged for an Amazon Prime subscription.
The victim is then told to press 1, and are then connected to a scammer posing as an Amazon worker when they try to cancel the subscription.
The criminal then tells the victim the Amazon Prime subscription was purchased fraudulently and they need remote access to the victim’s computer in order to fix a security flaw.
The victim is instructed to download an application called Team Viewer and asked to log into their online banking account.
The software download gives the fraudster access to the victim’s computer and allows them to see the victim’s personal and financial details.
Other variations of the crime involve victims being told they are due a refund for an unauthorised transaction on their Amazon account.
Since the beginning of September, Action Fraud has received more than 200 reports from people who have lost money to the scam.
These victims have lost a total of £400,000.
They have also received more than 300 reports from people who received one of the scam calls, but did not follow the instructions.
Hinckley police reported a Burbage resident received a scam call recently. In a statement on Facebook, the force said: “Please look into call blockers/filters from your phone provider and remember, if you are unsure, just put the phone down and never give out your personal information over the phone.”
Action Fraud is also reminding people to never install any software as a result of a cold call.
Pauline Smith, head of Action Fraud, said: “Unsolicited requests to remote access your computer should always raise a red flag.
“It’s easy to feel embarrassed when faced with unexpected or complex conversations but its okay to stop the discussion if you do not feel in control of it.
“If you’ve received an unexpected phone call, or other communication, stop and take a minute to think about whether an organisation would get in touch with you out of the blue in this way.”
If you are a victim of fraud of cyber crime, it can be reported to Action Fraud online or by calling 0300 1232040.