Spain police alert over fake Amazon email ‘phishing’ scam to steal personal information

NATIONAL POLICE have raised the alert over a fake Amazon email informing users their accounts have been blocked when in reality it is a fraudulent attempt to access personal information.

Police warned that the ‘phishing’ scam involves a mass mailing of the communication, which looks authentic enough. The cybercriminals have used the company’s logo and at the head of the message there is what appears to be an Amazon customer service email address.

The email tells the user their account was blocked for security reasons following the detection of illegitimate entries, and that they need to click on a link to unblock it.

This then opens another window, which again looks as though it is Amazon, and which offers two options: ‘create a new account’ or ‘start session.’ In either case, the scammers gain access to the information introduced and the details of the credit card linked to the account.

Police made the point that since the State of Alarm came into force and people have been confined to their homes internet use has increased, especially for online shopping. The force’s cybercrime specialists have therefore stepped up monitoring of possibly illegal movements on the web and social media.

The police urge the internet-using public to be on the lookout and not to trust any email from an unknown address and to verify the authenticity of a page before providing any personal data.

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Written by

Cathy Elelman

Cathy Elelman is the local writer for the Costa de Almeria edition of the Euro Weekly News.

Based in Mojacar for the last 21 years, Cathy is very much part of the local community and is always well and truly up on all the latest news and events going on in this region of Spain.

Her top goals are to do the best job she can informing the local English-speaking community, visitors to the area and the wider world about about the news in Almeria, to learn something new every day, and to embrace very new challenge this fast-changing world brings her way.

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