4 FALL 2025 SECURITY SPOTLIGHT: THIS FALL, DON’T FALL FOR SCAMS There are so many scams out there these days, and Consolidated wants to keep you informed of the threats. That’s why we’re devoting these two pages to helping you spot scams and avoid becoming a victim. AMAZON IMPERSONATORS SCAM VICTIMS OUT OF MONEY Has Amazon contacted you to confirm a recent purchase you didn’t make or to tell you that your account has been hacked? According to the Federal Trade Commission, about one in three people who have reported a business impersonator scam say the scammer pretended to be Amazon. These scams take different forms. In one version, scammers offer to “refund” you for an unauthorized purchase but “accidentally transfer” more than promised. They then ask you to send back the difference. What really happens? The scammer moves money from one of your bank accounts to the other (like savings to checking, or vice versa) to make it look like you were refunded. Any money you send back to “Amazon” is your money, not an overpayment, and as soon as you send it out of your account, it becomes theirs. In another version of the scam, you’re told that hackers have accessed your account — and the only way to supposedly protect it is to buy gift cards and share the gift card number and PIN on the back. Once that information is theirs, the money is, too. To avoid being taken by an Amazon impersonator scam: • Never call back an unknown number. Use the information on Amazon’s website and not a number listed in an unexpected email or text. • Don’t pay for anything with a gift card. Gift cards are for gifts. If anyone asks you to pay with a gift card, or buy gift cards for anything other than a gift, it’s a scam. • Don’t give remote access to someone who contacts you unexpectedly. This gives scammers easy access to your personal and financial information such as your bank accounts. If you think someone has achieved access to your accounts or personal information, visit IdentityTheft.gov.
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