Amazon has emerged as a leading platform for online shopping and video streaming. As users entrust their personal information like addresses, phone numbers, and credit cards for seamless transactions, it becomes crucial to protect against potential hacking risks. In our comprehensive guide, learn how to prevent Amazon account from being hacked and stay secure from online scammers.
How to Prevent Amazon Account from Being Hacked
With the rising concern of phishing attacks, it is crucial for online businesses to prioritize the safety of their customers. However, this issue has left many feeling anxious and uncertain. The key to addressing these concerns lies in adopting and implementing good online practices. In this article, we will explore effective strategies to protect your Amazon account from hacking attempts, providing you with peace of mind and enhanced security.
Quick Answer
To prevent your Amazon account from being hacked, activate two-factor authentication:
1. In your account, open Account & Lists.
2. Click on Login & security.
3. Click on the Turn on button right in front of 2-Step Verification.
4. Finally, click on Get Started.
Method 1: Use Strong Passwords
The easiest for a hacker to get into an Amazon account is when a user does not have a strong password. This issue can easily be resolved by creating a strong password which should have the following characteristics:
- The minimum length of a password should be 8 characters.
- A strong password should always contain a mix of a minimum of three of the following character types- lowercase, uppercase, numbers, and non-alphanumeric symbols like < > * & ^ % $ # @ !
- It should be changed on a frequent basis say 3 months.
- It shouldn’t contain common phrases and words.
- Modifications in the current or recent password should be avoided.
- Single words with little to no modifications should be avoided.
- It should never contain a user’s name or the Amazon account username.
- It should be kept confidential and not be shared with any person for security reasons.
Method 2: Remove Expired Card information
In our lifetime we make use of several credit cards because when one gets expired, we are forced to get a new one. But what we forget is to clean out the past card information which can potentially lead to your Amazon account being banned. We have explained how you can remove this data to protect your Amazon account from being hacked. Scroll down to find the steps.
Also Read: How to Change Billing Address on Amazon
Method 3: Block Phishing Mails
Phishing emails are basically emails that look like they are from an official Amazon email address. Hackers make tons of these emails which are sent in such a format that even smart people may not pay attention to the loopholes. These emails contain a redirection link that opens a fake Amazon website that is created by hackers.
Once you enter your Amazon account password to log in it straight away goes to the hacker who can then use it to access your original Amazon account. To avoid such situation, you should be aware of some details to notice when any mail comes to you from Amazon which is as follows:
- Do not get swayed away by seeing your full name in the mail received as it is quite easy for hackers to get it from the same location they have retrieved your email address.
- Avoid clicking on any links which seem to be the official links of Amazon. Therefore, always use your browser to manually visit the page and avoid redirections.
- Be aware of the sender’s email address. You can check this by seeing the end of the email address which most probably be ending with @amazon.com or a country variant of the same in place of (.com).
- A phishing email may sometime contain a spelling mistake or a major grammatical mistake that is unusual in official mail.
- You must check links twice before following them. In case the domain name is different from Amazon.com or any country variation that you are residing in then the link is most probably a fraudulent one.
Method 4: Avoid Data Dump
Data Dump is basically an act when you leave your important information on a number of websites. This is in the form of usernames and passwords that you use in order to sign up on a website. When these websites are hacked it leads to your passwords being compromised. To avoid this issue, you must use different passwords for Amazon and other websites that you visit.
Method 5: Be Aware of Keyloggers
Keyloggers as the name suggests, tracks your keystrokes on the keyboard. Keyloggers can be either software or a hardware piece. Therefore, there are various ways that a keylogger can be installed on your PC. This includes Trojan horse viruses that have phishing content and seem to a user as a completely harmless file. You can spot them if you keep note of the following things:
- Lagging speed of processes or tasks even though your PC speed was normal earlier,
- Lagging speed of keystrokes to appear or fail to appear on your PC.
- There are unknown processes in the PC Activity Monitor.
- Unheard virus protection issues are being detected by PCs antivirus.
Also Read: How to Deregister Amazon Device
How to Protect Your Amazon Account from Being Hacked
Let us now take some steps to protect your Amazon account from scammers and online hacks as explained in the methods below.
Method 1: Activate 2FA
Two Step Verification (2SV) or Two Factor Authentication (2FA) is a security wall that requires two types of identification to access an account. It is an additional layer of security that makes it too hard for attackers to access your Amazon Account. Earlier this technology was used only for confidential data and systems but now all major online platforms have been increasingly incorporating it to make them safer and avoid phishing.
1. Login to your Amazon Account.
2. Click on Account & Lists.
3. Click on Login & security.
4. Re-login if Amazon asks you for security reasons.
5. Click on Turn on right in front of 2-Step Verification (2SV) Settings.
6. Click on Get Started.
Also Read: How to Change Email on Amazon
Method 2: Remove Old Information
Old information includes expired credit cards, old addresses, and phone numbers. The reason behind this is they are pieces of information that can help hackers easily take control of your account. Other than this in time of recovery, too much information can make this process time-consuming leading to more damage than there could possibly have been.
Method 3: Use Antivirus Software
Antivirus software is a blessing in case you want to avoid any kind of phishing attack on your Amazon account. As explained in previous sections phishing mails can potentially be used to install keyloggers in your PC. This kind of malware can be scanned and removed with the use of a good antivirus. Also, you can make use of Windows Security to scan viruses with the help of our blog on How do I Run a Virus Scan on my Computer?
Method 4: Don’t Reuse Old Passwords
Some people have a habit of using the same old password for different websites again and again. This habit makes you vulnerable to phishing attacks and can potentially lead to your Amazon account being hacked. Therefore, practice safe internet surfing by keeping your Amazon account password different from other account passwords and at the same time update it every 12 weeks.
Method 5: Don’t Share Your Account Information
An Amazon account is not like any other social media account whose information can be shared among the people you know closely. This is not because of the fact that they might cheat you but because they might not be as cautious with your personal information as you are. As the Amazon account contains your Addresses, phone numbers, and email address information therefore it becomes quite easy for a scammer to contact you and start his/her phishing trail.
What to do After Amazon Account Hacked?
Unfortunately, if your Amazon account has been hacked, you can try out the following solutions:
Method 1: Change Amazon Account Password
Changing your Amazon Account password must be the first thing you should go for even before contacting customer support. This will help avoid further damage or stop any scam before it starts.
1. Click on Account & Lists.
2. Click on Login & security.
3. Click on Edit right in front of Password
4. Type in your Current and New Password and click on Save changes.
Also Read: How to Change Phone Number on Amazon
Method 2: Verify Purchase History
Another thing you must do is check if the hacker has ordered something from your Amazon account. If you find something that was not ordered by you then cancel it and call Amazon support to report this issue as soon as possible. Moreover, a scammer may archive the orders to hide them from your view so do check them too.
Method 3: Verify Account Details
It is possible that the person who has hacked your Amazon account may have changed your account details such as shipping address, billing address, phone number, email address, and linked credit cards. You must change your information here as soon as you notice a change here. Also, make sure to call the customer service phone number at 1-888-280-4331.
We hope you found our guide on how to prevent Amazon account from being hacked informative. If you have any questions or suggestions, please don’t hesitate to leave them in the comments section below.
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