Consumers across the UAE have been warned to remain vigilant ahead of Amazon Prime Big Deal Days, which kicks off on October 6. Cybersecurity company KnowBe4 has identified a sharp increase in sophisticated phishing campaigns impersonating Amazon.
Amazon brand impersonation attacks surged by 188 per cent between August and September, according to KnowBe4. Fraudsters are exploiting increased transaction volumes and manufactured urgency to trick consumers through fake order confirmations, delivery failure alerts, account suspension warnings, and bogus reward offers.
The ultimate objectives of these campaigns are account takeover, payment card harvesting and malware distribution.
More than 95 per cent of attacks are link-based, KnowBe4 said. These links lead victims to fake payment gateways or credential harvesting pages. Attackers also replicate genuine logos, action buttons and footer disclaimers to make fraudulent messages appear legitimate.
Consumers who identify these deceptive tactics before clicking “Confirm” could avoid compromising their personal information while shopping for deals.
The UAE differs from the rest of EMEA, with all of the identified attacks focused on ‘gift alert’ campaigns. The attacks were spread over the entire month of September, with no peak week of campaigns recorded.
All of the attacks were in English.
Some examples of the top subject lines included:
Gift Alert: Free Amazon Cookware Set
You are Qualified for an Amazon Gift bonus
(first name), Claim Your Amazon Bonus
The messages are designed to create urgency and encourage recipients to click links that can lead to fraudulent pages.
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Lucy Gee, Lead Threat Analyst at KnowBe4, said cybercriminals rely heavily on consumers’ fear of missing out as Prime Big Deal Days approach.
“The most important thing consumers can do is pause before clicking. If an email warns that your account is locked, your payment failed, or that you’ve won a free prize, don’t use the links in that message,” Gee said.
She advised consumers to go directly to the official Amazon app or website to check their account status, hover over links to check the real web address, and stay cautious of offers that seem too good to be true.
“If a deal or offer looks too good to be true, it almost certainly is,” Gee said.