Is Amazon Really Calling You? Unveiling the Facts

tellows Insights Report

Richard Grant - Expert in Telecommunications and User Protection
Richard is responsible for tellows' Consumer Protection department and is responsible for investigating all matters relating to telephone fraud, with a particular focus on developments in the telecommunications sector. Last updated: Nov 30, 2023

In the Australian market, people frequently search for phone numbers associated with Amazon. With the help of the tellows community, we can categorize these numbers and identify calls as soon as your phone rings. (more on tellows solutions).

Amazon calls can be divided into 3 categories:

Official Amazon Phone Numbers (Amazon delivery service, Amazon customer service)
Amazon Partners (e.g. Amazon Audible, Amazon credit card operators)
Scam or Fraud Calls (Fake Amazon employees)

tellows Insights: Distribution of phone numbers assigned to Amazon*

Official Amazon Numbers with Positive Rating

tellows users submitted to 1 different phone numbers a total of 4 ratings.

PhoneNumber	Ratings	Caller	Example	Score
0489981345	4	Peter	Dude said that he was from Amazon & I had an unauthorised transaction on my account from 5am this mo	9

Official Amazon Phone Numbers

Amazon customers in Australia who encounter account or order problems might get calls from legitimate Amazon phone numbers. These real Amazon numbers typically receive favorable ratings on tellows. Nevertheless, they can sometimes be misclassified as spam. It's essential to be aware that Amazon phone numbers are commonly targeted for spoofing and fraudulent activities, meaning that not all displayed numbers claiming to be Amazon are actually authentic representatives of Amazon's services.

An Amazon employee may call you with one of those numbers if you requested help on the website: 1800064122. Such a callback can be requested via the contact form.

Amazon's introduction of its delivery service, Amazon Logistics, has led to a surge in outbound calls from the company. Amazon's delivery drivers use these calls to manage deliveries and address customer queries. If you've opted for a non-Amazon carrier, you should reach out directly to the carrier for delivery specifics.

For Amazon package-related issues, drivers often call from numbers like 0297378288 or 0388479045.

To enhance Amazon account security, the company recommends activating two-step authentication, which includes receiving verification codes via SMS or using Amazon's authenticator app.Amazon may also contact sellers who've requested support through the platform and individuals who have applied for jobs through Amazon's hiring department.To simplify the process of locating a lost phone, you can employ Amazon's Alexa Find My Phone service. Setting up this service requires providing your phone number to Alexa and receiving a verification code. Amazon uses four distinct outbound phone numbers for this purpose.It's worth noting that some official Amazon phone numbers are strictly for outbound use and cannot be called back. When contacted, you may hear an automated voice prompting you to verify your account and noting that the conversation is recorded.

Amazon Partners

Amazon operates more than 40 subsidiaries. Customers utilizing Amazon-related services, such as Audible, Zappos, the online pharmacy PillPack, or the Amazon Credit Card, may receive calls from Amazon partner companies or their call centers. Numbers associated with these services often receive positive ratings on tellows.

If you hold an Amazon credit card (e.g., Amazon Store Card or Amazon Secured Card), it's issued by Synchrony Bank. The bank might contact you to address account issues or present service offers related to your credit debt.

Amazon Scams

The last category of phone number ratings assigned to Amazon are scam or fraud calls. These calls are rated very negatively. We recommend blocking these calls with our tellows solutions.

Scam or Fraud Calls Claiming to be from Amazon

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There are a variety of different scams that abuse the Amazon brand. The FTC reported that 1 in 3 impersonator scam reports have claimed to be an Amazon employee. The reports of Amazon scams multiplied 5 times by last year. The loss due to scams by Amazon imposters was $27 million in 2021. Especially older people are targets and reported having larger losses. Phone numbers used for fraudulent intent are often active for a short period. Scammers generally change phone numbers more often because more people may fall for the scam when calling from new numbers that do not yet have a history or ratings. For many of these numbers, we record a particularly high volume of searches over several days. Scammers are often using phone numbers that are similar to the official Amazon service numbers. With the help of spoofing they can also manipulate the caller ID in the phone and make it look like the call comes from a legitimate Amazon phone number. This results in official phone numbers being mistakenly reported as fraud.

Scam and fraud calls can be distinguished by call categories:

Fake Amazon Employees
Unauthorized Purchases
Press 1 / 0 Scam
Fake Prizes
SMS Phishing Link ("Smishing")

The Amazon brand is frequently exploited by scammers attempting to gather personal data. tellows users often report phone numbers where callers impersonate Amazon employees, asking questions about accounts and orders. Common scams involve false Amazon Prime renewals and unauthorized bank account charges. Scammers claim a deduction fee or purchases were made with your account. They ask for account information or a call back to verify the transaction, aiming to obtain personal details. Automated voices may warn of unauthorized purchases, prompting victims to press buttons out of fear. Lotteries and sweepstakes are also used to rush victims into hasty decisions. FTC reported this year on Text messages resembling automated fraud alerts. These deceptive messages claim you need to verify a large purchase you didn't make. If you call the provided number, a fake Amazon agent offers to "fix" your account. People have fallen victim to this scam, giving the fraudsters remote phone access. The scammers then claim they mistakenly over-refunded you and request you return the excess in gift cards. Similarly, be cautious of text messages promising prizes like iPhones or Amazon Prime subscriptions; they're often phishing attempts ("smishing"). Always scrutinize unexpected texts supposedly from Amazon. Another scam approach is used by callers pretending to be an Amazon technician. You receive a call that there was fraudulent activity in your account and asked to call back. Once you call back they try to access your computer with remote control to "verify" your account. Once they have access to your computer, they can install all kinds of software and retrieve your private information or lock you out.

Christmas time is time for scammers!
Every year, tellows has been noting a recurring trend: as the pre-Christmas season approaches, scammers become more active. During this period, people tend to have more disposable income, which the scammers are well aware of. It's also the time when Amazon is busiest, delivering numerous packages, making it more likely for people to believe they've received a legitimate contact from Amazon. Unfortunately, this is the prime opportunity for scammers posing as Amazon representatives to exploit the situation. Amazon also equips customers with resources to discern the legitimacy of emails, phone calls, text messages, or webpages purportedly from Amazon.

Help with unwanted calls from Amazon scammers

To protect yourself against scam calls, you just need to follow a few simple tips:

Amazon never calls you without a prior request from you, and never asks for sensitive information on the phone.
Amazon also does not ask you to update or submit your information via email or text message.
Do not press any button on your phone if you are told to do it by a robo voice.
Do not provide your personal account information to other websites.
Do not call back a number from a missed call. Rather reach out to the official Amazon contact if you are not sure whether something is wrong with your account.
If you receive a call from a dubious number, hang up immediately and block the caller.
Amazon also lists tips for recognizing and dealing with scam calls on its site and suggests reporting to the FTC.

How can tellows help you with unknown calls?

You can look for an unknown number on tellows-au.com to evaluate the caller and the reason for the call.
tellows offers apps for iOS and Android to identify unknown calls as soon as the phone rings. This way you can accept a call with no doubts. Phone numbers with fraudulent intentions change very quickly. Phone numbers classified as Amazon scams or fake Amazon employees can only be detected and blocked in real time via the app.

tellows Insights for Journalists

This detailed research was created by tellows Insights. In doing so, the experts combine unique tellows data with expert knowledge and extensive research. tellows evaluates thousands of ratings every day and creates statistics and data clusters on relevant numbers and new scam schemes. This allows the focus to be placed on actually active callers and new dubious phone numbers to be quickly identified. The tellows Insights team uses the unique tellows database. This allows detailed studies to be created. The team is happy to answer your inquiries. All graphics and data can be used for editorial purposes when credited with the source. All data was last updated on Nov 30, 2023. The investigated phone numbers were categorized with the tellows score (1 - trustworthy to 9 - dubious). This indicates the risk assessment of a phone number. The higher the score, the more dubious the caller. Calls with the categorization Amazon as well as the number of reported phone numbers were examined. The report only takes into account numbers where tellows users have assigned the company name Amazon.