Data base of the study

In a unique study, the consumer protection platform www.tellows.com examined calls assigned to Amazon. Data from the last 365 days from around 130 telephone numbers were analyzed.

Every second call is not from Amazon

Every second call from Amazon-assigned phone numbers was perceived as annoying or dubious. These calls were not official Amazon calls. These negatively assessed telephone numbers originate from fake or scam callers. Official Amazon employees or partner services only call with a few different telephone numbers: ten percent of all reported telephone numbers represent 44 percent of the call volume. Amazon partners call in connection with Amazon-related services, such as the Amazon credit card or Audible. These calls are not frivolous, but are often perceived as annoying.

56 percent of all annoying Amazon calls are scams

With 56 percent, scam calls make up the majority of all calls perceived as annoying. The study analysed and described in detail the different methods used by criminals. The methods are all aimed for obtaining the personal data of those called.

Fraud wave continues to increase in 2021: Be careful in the run-up to Christmas!
The data from tellows shows an increase in unwanted numbers over the last few years. Fraud methods such as imposters from fake Amazon employees have increased significantly since then. The FTC* reported that a third of all reported imposter scams are from alleged Amazon customer services trying to access the personal information of real Amazon customers.

The lifetime of individual scam phone numbers is always very short, but a lot of people are contacted during their active time. The calls take place in waves. The next wave is expected for the months of November to December. Due to the increased order volume during the Christmas season, user interest in numbers assigned to Amazon also increases. Contacts with official Amazon employees rise, such as delivery queries. Fraudsters take advantage of this. They pretend to be Amazon employees and try to obtain sensitive customer data.

Official Amazon phone numbers are target for spoofing

Amazon service numbers are often used for spoofing purposes. Scammers are manipulating the caller ID on the screen. When people see that a trustworthy Amazon number is calling, they are more likely to pick up the phone and hand out personal details.

The most important official telephone numbers are listed in the study from tellows. Many phone numbers are used for callbacks from customer service. Generally, Amazon employees only call after a prior request. Some phone numbers cannot be called back.

Data base of the tellows Insights

For the report, telephone numbers were examined in the period from October 2020 to October 2021, which were searched and rated on tellows during this time. The analyzed phone numbers were categorized with the tellows score (1 - trustworthy to 9 - dubious). This indicates the risk evaluation of a telephone number. The higher the score, the more dubious the caller. The amount of phone numbers reported to tellows in connection with Amazon were examined. The number of total calls caused by the telephone numbers was not analysed.

For editorial enquiries, information on tellows Insights and tellows data, please contact the tellows editorial team by email [email protected].
You can find the study here:
https://www.tellows.com/s/analyse_us/amazon
* Source: 10/29/2021, https://www.ftc.gov/