Scammers are stepping up their game for the holidays, impersonating brands to trick people into handing over their accounts.
The FBI has issued a public service announcement warning about a surge in account takeover (ATO) fraud, and the timing lines up with a major alert Amazon has just sent to its 300 million customers about brand impersonation scams. How ATO fraud works Account takeover fraud is just what it says: Scammers figure out a way to hijack your account and use it for their own gain. It affects everything from email and social media to retailer, travel, and banking accounts. Criminals use plenty of tactics, including malware on your computer or phone, or “credential stuffing,” where they try compromised passwords across lots of sites. The FBI’s new alert focuses on attackers who impersonate customer support or tech support from your bank. Amazon’s warning describes almost identical techniques, but aimed at Amazon shoppers instead of banking customers. Attackers send texts, emails and make phone calls designed to fool you into giving away your username and password, and even your multi-factor authentication (MFA) codes. Once they’re in the account, scammers quickly reset passwords or other access controls, locking you out of your own account. Fake websites, fake alerts, and fake customer support The FBI highlights another technique used for similar purposes: website-based phishing. The scammer will direct you to a fake site that looks just like your bank’s login page. The moment you enter your details, the criminals steal them and use them on the real banking site. Amazon says the same thing is happening to its customers. In a warning email sent November 24, it listed the attacks it is seeing most often:
Fake delivery notices or account-issue messages Third-party ads offering unbelievable deals Messages via unofficial channels requesting login or payment information Links to look-alike websites Unsolicited “Amazon support” phone calls One of the FBI’s examples mirrors this almost exactly: Attackers claim there has been fraudulent activity on your account and urge you to click a link to “fix” it, but it sends you straight to a phishing site.
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