„Press button one“

„Press button one“

Berlin, August 30, 2023

Your phone is ringing. You pick up and hear a voice prompt: “This is Amazon. In the next 24 hours, €850 will be booked from your account. For more information, press the 1” button.
No way. Keep your cool and hang up immediately. The scammers might demand that they set up remote maintenance access for you. If you give in, the scammers can see almost everything that happens on your PC.
How did scammers get your phone number? The LKA Lower Saxony knows the following options:
– randomly chosen
– prior contact via SMS with attached link,
– the perpetrators were able to use databases created by previous phishing incidents containing the phone numbers.
– The victim should upload ID card pictures or identify themselves with ID card and face via photo or webcam. Fraudsters can then misuse these recordings and data for identity theft.
– The victims are supposed to buy credit cards (e.g. Paysafe) at kiosks, petrol stations or drugstores and hold their codes up to the camera
– It is also conceivable that the fraudsters want to gain access to online banking or credit card data.
How to spot the scam
Amazon generally does not call its customers. Instead, Amazon always contacts them via email or push messages in the Amazon app. You can read these emails and messages in the official customer account under „My Account“ and then „Message Center“.
How to react correctly
Hang up as soon as you hear the recorded message. However, if you have already fallen for the scam, you must react quickly. Change your access data for the affected online accounts. Set up two-factor authentication wherever possible. Check which devices/browsers/computers you have enabled for use. Erase unknown/unauthorized devices. Make screenshots to preserve evidence and secure all evidence such as the credit cards.
Inform the respective customer service and, if necessary, your bank. And make a report to the police. This is also possible online in all federal states.