Authorities are warning the public to be careful about texts impersonating Amazon and offering refunds.
“Scammers are pretending to be Amazon again,” the Federal Trade Commission said in a recent news advisory. “This time, they’re sending texts claiming there’s a problem with something you bought.”
The agency said the scammers ask users to click a link for the refund “but it’s a scam.”
According to the FTC advisory issued on July 24, recipients receive an “unexpected text that looks like it’s from Amazon,” claiming the “company did a ‘routine quality inspection’ and an item you recently bought doesn’t meet Amazon’s standards or has been recalled.”
“The text offers you a full refund and says you don’t need to return the item — as long as you click a link to request your money back,” the advisory says, adding there is no refund, and the link is instead a “phishing scam” to steal money and personal information.
The FTC recommends keeping the following in mind to avoid getting scammed:
The FTC also encourages the public to report scams to the agency at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.
Additionally, Amazon has information on its website about how to identify a fake text message.
In the case that you accidentally engage with the link and fear your personal information has been compromised, the FTC recommends taking the following steps to secure yourself and your information:
Contributing: Greta Cross, USA TODAY
Saman Shafiq is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at [email protected] and follow her on X and Instagram @saman_shafiq7.

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