It is quite common to receive an SMS or an email related to a supposed order that we are waiting for. You may have bought something from Amazon or any other platform and you are unsure whether it is really reliable or not. We are going to explain what you can do to identify if it is really real or, on the contrary, it is simply a scam that seeks to steal your personal data or passwords.
Generally, these fake messages and emails can arrive more frequently at certain times of the year. A clear example is at Christmas, but also at times such as sales dates or when platforms such as Amazon launch offers during certain days. They know that there is a greater probability of success.
Check if a purchase SMS or email is real
The problem comes when you have placed an order, you are waiting for your package to arrive and you receive an SMS saying that there is a problem. Maybe it doesn’t raise suspicions at first and you end up clicking on a link you shouldn’t or sending data to hackers. This is what should be avoided.
Check the sender very carefully
The first thing you should do is check the sender of that message very carefully. This is especially useful when we talk about email. You can look at the email address and see if it is really from the official platform or if it is a scam. Be careful with small changes they may make. For example, an email that pretends to be from Amazon and puts Amaz0n (with a zero) in the domain name.
In the case of SMS, it is more difficult to detect. You can receive it from a seemingly normal number. What you can do is search for that number, in case there is information on the Internet. However, you should never provide information via this means, or click on links.
Check your order code on the official website
When you make a purchase online, you will receive an order code. It is a series of numbers and/or letters that serve to identify that order. In case you receive a message saying that there has been a problem with what you have purchased, that they have not been able to deliver it to you or whatever, what we recommend is that you access the official website and enter the order code to see its status .
Of course, you should not share this code with third parties. If you do, they could launch a more personalized Phishing attack, with more real information, and thus have a greater chance of success. Keep this code hidden and use it only to obtain information from the official website.
Contact the trade
In case of doubt, and if you are not able to detect whether the SMS or email you have received is really reliable or not, it is best to contact the business. You can ask if there really has been a problem with the order, if you need to provide any additional information or what they have asked of you.
Of course, you always have to do it from official sites. The best thing is that you go to the official website of that business and find a way to contact them, as a customer. Never contact through an address sent to you in that email, because if it is fraudulent it will be a fake email just to scam.
In short, these are some simple steps you can take to find out if an email or text message you received about an order, with a supposed problem, is actually real or not. Avoiding falling into the trap is essential to avoid problems.
