Trading Standards - Amazon Refund Scams

8th December 2025

There is always an increase in Amazon scams at this time of year, as more people shop online.
One recent scam message reads:

"Our investigation confirmed that the seller violated Amazon's policies by offering non-compliant products. This seller has now been permanently removed from our marketplace and penalized.

"To resolve this we're providing you with a full refund and a free replacement of a quality-compliant product. Visit the link below to view the details and secure the refund..."

The message makes no mention of a specific product and the link provided leads to a copycat website which uses Amazon logos and branding to appear legitimate. Here, you are asked to enter your Amazon account details and contact details, supposedly to allow your refund to be processed.

Some people have also received messages saying they have made a payment to Amazon. The messages include a 'helpline' number to call if they have not authorised the payment.

One woman who received this message was worried as she did not have an Amazon account, so phoned the number and spoke to someone who said he worked for the company. He apologised for the mistake and asked the woman to download an app to get a refund. This allowed the scammer to gain access to the woman's computer and therefore to her bank account details.
Shortly after the call, she noticed that over £2,000 had been taken from her bank account in two payments.
Her bank has since refunded the money.

How to Avoid
Amazon advise that if you receive a suspicious call, email or text claiming to be from them which asks for personal information, a payment, or offers a refund you don't expect, you should not give out any personal information.

If a message or cold caller tells you that a suspicious payment has been made, log in to your account on the official website or app to check this rather than providing any details over the phone.

Amazon will never cold call you to ask you to make a payment. They will never call and ask you to install an app or download software which will allow them to access to your computer remotely.

If you are not sure if a text message or email that appears to be from Amazon is legitimate, you can check the Message Centre via your account, which displays a log of authentic communications.

Find out more
Advice from Amazon on recognising genuine communications from them: www.amazon.co.uk/gp/help/customer
ScamShare Spotlight PDF on Amazon scams: www.tsscot.co.uk/scamshare