As exams conclude and hostels become busy, young adults often make their first significant purchases, including phones, laptops, headphones, and clothing. This festive season marks a time of financial independence for many, but it also attracts scammers. Parents and guardians play a crucial role in guiding teens and college students to navigate the online landscape effectively: recognizing impersonations, questioning urgency, and developing habits that protect both finances and identities. Rakesh Bakshi, Vice President – Legal at Amazon India, emphasizes a simple family rule: pause first, click later. Families are encouraged to perform quick verifications, check orders through the official Amazon app, enable multi-factor authentication, and treat requests for gift card payments as a warning sign.
These small habits can prevent significant problems. Families can collaboratively address common online threats such as phishing and impersonation, where messages mimic trusted brands to steal personal information or money. Account takeovers can occur through unsafe access methods, including weak passwords, reused passwords across sites, insecure Wi-Fi, or logging in via fraudulent pages. To assist young adults in identifying and stopping scam attempts, several quick checks can be implemented. For instance, if an alert about an ‘order’ or ‘account issue’ is received, users should verify it by checking their orders on the Amazon app or website — if it isn’t there, it’s likely a scam.
It’s important to inspect the sender and URL for authenticity, be cautious of shortened links and typographical errors, and disregard messages that create urgency, such as ‘Act now’ or ‘Install this tool.’ Families can establish simple protective measures that promote safety without feeling intrusive, such as using strong, unique passwords and enabling multi-factor authentication for important accounts. Parental controls can be utilized appropriately, and families can agree on a checklist to identify red flags for unknown links or downloads. Parents should model a calm response to suspicious prompts, demonstrating to children how to handle such situations, as adults are also targeted.
Additionally, families can learn together by using Amazon’s free resources, which include the Protect & Connect microsite developed with the National Cybersecurity Alliance, offering bite-sized lessons and quizzes. When shopping, it’s vital to remember that Amazon will never request payment via phone or email, ask for gift cards, or require software installation for support. If an unexpected ‘order confirmation’ or ‘account issue’ is received, it should be verified through the app; if not listed, it’s a scam. Users are encouraged to report any suspicious activity via Amazon’s in-app reporting or email reportascam@amazon.com. Forwarding phishing emails to stop-spoofing@amazon.com aids in the quicker removal of fraudulent actors.
Relying on the A-to-Z Guarantee ensures safe shopping within the Amazon ecosystem, providing assurance for purchases and quick resolution of any delivery or item-condition issues. In line with its commitment to safe shopping, Amazon India has teamed up with the Indian Cybercrime Coordination Centre (I4C) for the Scam Free September initiative, aimed at raising awareness about online safety and empowering families and young adults to cultivate smart, scam-resistant habits during the festive shopping season. As part of this collaboration, Amazon and I4C have also released three digital films that simplify complex fraud scenarios into easily digestible safety tips.