Amazon Review Scam

[Sam Vimes]

I haven't gotten any email scams before as I think my mail server is doing a good job of filtering them out. However, a few weeks ago I posted a review on Amazon which was only three stars. Then I started getting every few days an email - obviously a scam - offering me a gift card if I'd remove my review. I've had similar before but they've always been from a note within the item box or a message via Amazon. I've always rejected and reported them.

This time its different. The emails are coming directly to the email address I use for Amazon and nowhere else. They are gmail.com emails but with random prefixes. They started off offering my a £10 gift card. They had the order number and a link to the review (which I never clicked on). Over time the offer has risen and is now standing at £35.

I've reported this to Amazon but there's not much they can do as these are originating outside of Amazon. I've set up filters on my email to put them in the Spam box, which I'll leave for a while as I'm curious to see how high the offer will go. Shortly though I'll change the filter to just delete them completely.

Amazon Review and Gift Card scams have been around a long while but how they managed to get hold of my Amazon only email address is a mystery.

 

[Buckman]

I had that issue a few years ago and since then I have hardly posted any reviews unless the product was a minus star!

 

[Buckman]

I have just checked my Prime membership and was a bit miffed to find out that it was recently renewed at £94. A quick search showed no emails referring to the increase.

On reflection over the past year we have not ordered much off Amazon and now as a lot of the content seems to require payment, I am wondering whether it is worth the subscription as we no longer watch that much Prime. Not sure if you can get a refund if cancelling halfway through the year?

Especially annoying is bookmarking a movie which is part of your subscription and then a few days later going back to it and suddenly it is no longer part of the subscription and you need to pay to watch the movie!

 

[ProfJohnL]

I detest how businesses continually ask me to provide a review about what I've purchased, how the purchase went and what could they have done better. If the people they employ to run all these questionnaires could be redeployed to their complaints departments, then perhaps you would not be made to hold on for so long for them to answer the blasted phones.

As far as I am concerned, if the product or service meets my expectations or needs, then the absence of any comment from me can be assumed to indicate my satisfaction.

I will only make after sales contact if the service or goods are faulty or other wise do not meet my needs or expectations contact a supplier , OR if I receive exceptional service or performance.

 

[Dustydog]

Product reviews serve no useful purpose. I don’t believe most of them are genuine moreso an artificial way of inflating the efficacy of the product.
However I do reviews on U.K. Campsites and the two Clubs.

 

[Jcloughie]

I haven't gotten any email scams before as I think my mail server is doing a good job of filtering them out. However, a few weeks ago I posted a review on Amazon which was only three stars. Then I started getting every few days an email - obviously a scam - offering me a gift card if I'd remove my review. I've had similar before but they've always been from a note within the item box or a message via Amazon. I've always rejected and reported them.

This time its different. The emails are coming directly to the email address I use for Amazon and nowhere else. They are gmail.com emails but with random prefixes. They started off offering my a £10 gift card. They had the order number and a link to the review (which I never clicked on). Over time the offer has risen and is now standing at £35.

I've reported this to Amazon but there's not much they can do as these are originating outside of Amazon. I've set up filters on my email to put them in the Spam box, which I'll leave for a while as I'm curious to see how high the offer will go. Shortly though I'll change the filter to just delete them completely.

Amazon Review and Gift Card scams have been around a long while but how they managed to get hold of my Amazon only email address is a mystery.

This has similarities to an attempted scam I had 2 days ago. The similarity is that I was sent an email immediately after writing on a social media site. Which begs the questions, how did the sender know I had just posted an advert, and how did they get my address.

I use Nextdoor. I am not a great fan, but it is useful for local info and for selling locally. We are having the bathroom refitted, so wanted to offer the perfectly good bath, basin a toilet for free. I received an email saying that I would need to use my credit card to verify my account in order to stop people posting fraudulently, until then my posts would be frozen. I did not do this. My posts are not frozen.

I have reported the incident but not received a reply. Reporting is far from easy on that platform.





John

 

[ProfJohnL]

I tried "Nextdoor" but found it wasn't just my neighbourhood it was upto 25 miles radius. The notifications were annoyingly intrusive, and very rarely anything of relevant or interest to me, often being advertising for service not or available to my immediate neighbourhood.

Barely used it so I withdrew.

 

[Jcloughie]

I tried "Nextdoor" but found it wasn't just my neighbourhood it was upto 25 miles radius. The notifications were annoyingly intrusive, and very rarely anything of relevant or interest to me, often being advertising for service not or available to my immediate neighbourhood.

Barely used it so I withdrew.

I agree that it has lots of faults. But I have found it useful for selling or giving away the odd thing.

John

 

[otherclive]

I agree that it has lots of faults. But I have found it useful for selling or giving away the odd thing.

John

Selling locally our daughter puts our stuff on local Facebook. Giving away use Trash Nothing/Freecycle. When we moved here we were invited to Next Door but did not join for similar reasons to Prof John.

 

[Beachball]

I agree that it has lots of faults. But I have found it useful for selling or giving away the odd thing.

John

Like you sold some of our stuff on Next Door and the news around my area .

 

[Kenno]

Product reviews serve no useful purpose. I don’t believe most of them are genuine moreso an artificial way of inflating the efficacy of the product.
However I do reviews on U.K. Campsites and the two Clubs.

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