Our vision is to build a world where consumers are confident that they will not be taken advantage of by bad actors who impersonate trusted brands. Because impersonation scams, when a scammer pretends to be a trusted entity to try to defraud consumers, are an industrywide issue, Amazon works to proactively protect consumers by educating them, innovating on their behalf, and holding bad actors accountable. We also team up with others across industry sectors to develop solutions and support to address this shared challenge.
Amazon, Microsoft, and Central Bureau Investigation (CBI), the federal enforcement agency in India, have taken decisive action against perpetrators of technology support fraud. On Thursday, 19 October, CBI announced it conducted multiple criminal raids in various cities spanning several states against illegal call centres in India that were set up to impersonate Microsoft and Amazon customer support. The illegal call centres impacted more than 2,000 Amazon and Microsoft customers primarily based in the U.S., but also in Australia, Canada, Germany, Spain, and the UK.
This operation was supported by a joint criminal referral made by Amazon and Microsoft through joint prosecution agreements in the U.S. and India, as the same cyber criminals were targeting both our customers. We want to thank CBI for taking swift action from the evidence and information we provided.
This collaboration marks the first time Microsoft and Amazon have joined forces to combat tech support fraud.
Together, the companies are setting a precedent for the power of industry collaboration and the collective impact it can have in holding bad actors accountable. Our joint efforts signify a commitment to long-term engagement in combating these scams. We will continue to work with Indian law enforcement agencies as well as authorities from countries of victims so that they can continue to act.
“We are pleased to join forces with Microsoft, and we believe actionable partnerships like these are critical in helping protect consumers from impersonation scams,” said Kathy Sheehan, vice president and associate general counsel, Business Conduct & Ethics. “Amazon will remain vigilant and persistent in our efforts to stay one step ahead of fraudsters, but we cannot win this fight alone. We encourage others in the industry to join us as a united front against criminal activity.”
Amazon has zero tolerance for criminals who pretend to be us, or any brand, to commit fraud.
Amazon has zero tolerance for criminals who pretend to be us, or any brand, to commit fraud. Through our continued commitment to protect consumers from impersonation scams, we initiated takedowns of more than 20,000 phishing websites and 10,000 phone numbers being used as part of impersonation schemes in 2022. We also have referred hundreds of bad actors across the globe to law enforcement authorities, which have resulted in arrests and raids on scam operations. We will continue to support law enforcement’s efforts in ensuring these scammers are held accountable.
Customers can view authentic order and communication history directly on Amazon by logging into our account and checking the Message Centre. Amazon will never ask for payment over the phone or email—only in our mobile app, on our website, or in one of our physical stores. We will never call and ask to make a payment or bank transfer on another website.
If you’re ever unsure, it’s safest to stop engaging with the potential scammer and report suspicious communication to us directly at amazon.co.uk/reportascam. Even if you aren’t an Amazon customer, you can still report a suspicious message to us at stop-spoofing@amazon.com.
Additional resources:
- Read more about Amazon’s efforts to protect consumers from impersonation scams and our tips to help identify and avoid them.
- Learn about Microsoft’s work against tech support scams.
