Amazon alerted customers to increased impersonation and account‑takeover tactics during the holiday season, citing fake delivery notices and fraudulent ads as common vectors. Authorities say account takeover and payment‑fraud arrests have risen in recent days.

Amazon issued warnings to customers on Nov. 27 about a noticeable rise in impersonation scams and account‑takeover attempts tied to holiday shopping activity. The company highlighted common ploys including fake delivery alerts, spoofed account‑problem notifications, and deceptive sponsored ads that redirect shoppers to fraudulent pages that steal credentials or payment details. Security observers have also flagged a surge in identity theft and stolen‑payment fraud during the Black Friday period, with some recent enforcement actions and arrests linked to rings that exploit compromised accounts to launder goods and payments. Consumers are advised to enable multi‑factor authentication, review recent orders frequently, and avoid following links in unsolicited messages; instead, navigate directly to retailer sites to confirm order status. Additionally, victims of unauthorized transactions should report incidents promptly to their banks and the platform involved to increase chances of recovery. Retailers and payment processors are urged to heighten fraud monitoring and accelerate account‑recovery workflows during the holiday surge.