Amazon issues warning to customers ahead of Black Friday

Amazon has issued a warning to customers ahead of Black Friday and urged them to 'stay alert'. The shopping extravaganza sees big brands slash their prices, with many already launching sales - but it also results in a surge in scams.

An email sent to Amazon customers urged them to be mindful of cybercrime. It said: "Scammers posing as various organisations like Amazon may send you calls, texts, and emails with various tactics to try to deceive you to provide personal information or sign-in credentials."

It warned that scammers could try and convince shoppers there was a fraud investigation, which means they must 'verify' their account. Some crooks also make claims about unauthorised or fraudulent activity on their target's Amazon account.

READ MORE: When is Black Friday 2024, what is it and where can you find the best deals

However Amazon has said it would "never" ask customers to share their password, account sign-in,One-Time Password (OTP), or verify sensitive personal information over the phone. It urged people to visit the Message Centre on Amazon.co.uk or its app to review authentic emails from Amazon.

Customers were also advised to go directly to the Amazon website and the Your Account section to make changes to their billing and account information. The email added: "Ahead of Black Friday, Amazon UK is supporting the efforts of the Stop! Think Fraud campaign to help protect you from scams. Two-step verification (2SV) gives your Amazon account an extra level of protection which means that even if a criminal knows your password, they still won’t be able to access it. Consider setting up 2-step verification when available to your online accounts to help prevent unauthorised account access."

Amazon also urged people to go to amazon.co.uk/reportascam if they have received communication — a call, text, or email — that they think may not be from Amazon.