Plea for action after 15 scam calls in three days

Conmen claim to be from online firm to gain bank details

Online giant Amazon must do more to stop fraudsters using its name to trick vulnerable people, it has been argued.

Arbroath man Iain Forgrieve, 72, says he sometimes receives three calls a day from con artists attempting to take advantage of the Amazon name to dupe victims into sharing bank details.

“There must be something they can do. I think they should do more to stamp it out,” he said.

Iain said he received 15 calls in only three days last year, taking a toll on both himself and his wife.

“We hear the phone ringing and we just wonder what is going on. We might be in bed and the phone goes at the back of 8 o’clock and we might think there is something wrong with the family.

“Then you get up and it is the recorded message with the answer phone.

“Where they are getting the numbers, I don’t know, because I don’t have an Amazon Prime subscription and I don’t buy anything online but they have still been targeting me over the last few months.”

Amazon Prime is a paid subscription service offered by the company that gives users access to extra services such as two-day delivery and music and video streaming sites.

The fake calls, which have no links to the company, encourage recipients to cancel a charge for the special service but actually connect the victim to a con artist.

Iain shared his story after community support workers raised awareness of the scam earlier this month.

He said he has contacted the company to complain as well as blocking numbers.

“There is nothing else I can do. I just have to keep blocking the numbers as they come up. I do not know if there are any other actions that I can take,” he said.

“They might stop for a day but then it is straight back again.”

An Amazon spokesman said: “We take phishing and spoofing attempts on our customers seriously, and will never call a customer for payment outside of our website.

“If a customer has concerns or receives a call they believe is not from Amazon, they can check the Amazon. co.uk help pages for guidance using the following link – https://amzn. to/2kQC5I0.

“Customers should never provide personal or financial information to unsolicited callers, or ask them to take any actions on their Amazon account.

“Customers can also report fraudulent activity to Citizens Advice or Action Fraud,” he added.

They might stop for a day but then it is straight back again.

IAIN FORGRIEVE