A call or text says there is a problem with your Amazon account

The problem

A call or text says there is a suspicious charge on your Amazon account, perhaps for an expensive item you never bought. The caller sounds helpful. They say your identity may be at risk and offer to sort it out.

What follows is a chain of calls. You are passed to someone from your bank, or to an "FTC agent" who offers an ID and badge number as proof. Then comes the real request: to move money out of your accounts to somewhere safe.

How it can happen

The FTC's March 2024 alert describes the story. The caller claims to be Amazon, often with a spoofed number. The story escalates to identity fraud, and you are told your accounts are at risk. You are pressured to move or drain bank or retirement accounts. Some callers pass you to a fake bank or FTC representative, or claim an arrest warrant is pending.

In May 2025 the FTC added that scammers are now calling themselves FTC agents. The FTC says it does not have agents, and will never ask you to move money or connect you to someone who does. The fake ID with a badge number is intended as proof, and it proves nothing.

The August 2025 alert places this within a larger pattern. It names a fake bank employee or Amazon representative who says someone is using your accounts as one of three common opening stories. Each leads to specific instructions that involve moving money.

How to avoid it

1. Do not call back. The FTC says not to call the number that contacted you, or any number left in a voicemail or text.
2. Check from your side. Log in through the Amazon website or app and look at your orders. A real problem will appear there.
3. Never move money to protect it. The FTC says not to transfer money or drain savings to protect it from fraud.
4. Do not share verification codes. Callers asking for them are a sign of fraud.
5. Talk to someone you trust, especially if the caller says there is a crime or a government role. Secrecy is a tell.
6. If you are worried about an account, hang up and call your bank, broker or advisor on the number on your statement.
7. Report the call or text at ReportFraud.ftc.gov. If you think your identity was used, go to IdentityTheft.gov, and check your credit reports at AnnualCreditReport.com for accounts you do not recognise.

If you already moved money or shared a code, tell your bank or investment firm immediately. The article on the fraud department call shows the next stage of the same story, and what to do after you shared a code or gave someone access lists steps to take.

Things to watch

• A caller ID that shows Amazon.
• A purchase that you do not recognise, particularly a large one.
• A transfer to a "bank" or "FTC agent".
• A claim that your Social Security number is linked to crimes.
• Threats of arrest, or instructions to keep the matter secret.
• A request to move money, share a code or withdraw cash.

Amazon is only the name on the costume. The same call can arrive as a bank, a tech company or a government agency. What stays the same is the request to move money.