Internet scams related to crimes of identity impersonation have grown exponentially in recent years. In order to protect its customers, Microsoft and Amazon They have made the decision to start working together to prevent and avoid this type of crime.
On October 19, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) of the India carried out multiple raids in several cities in this country. The objective of these actions has been to neutralize a series of illegal call centers specifically created for impersonate Microsoft and Amazon customer services.
More than two thousand customers Amazon y ecosystem In various countries, including Spain, they would have been in the crosshairs of these criminals. The scammers, posing as workers from these companies, would have tried to obtain private information from their unsuspecting victims (accesses, passwords, etc.) and charge them for services they did not need.
Dismantling this network of scammers has been possible thanks to the information that Amazon and Microsoft, aware of the real problem of identity theft, have provided to the Indian authorities. In fact, this cybercriminal organization was focused on defrauding the clients of these two companies.
This time the authorities have arrived in time to intervene. But unfortunately this is not always the case. This is just one example of the reasons that have led both corporations to collaborate and reinforce their security systems together.
A real threat that must be combated
Phishing scams are not new on the internet. However, the methods used by The criminals who carry them out are becoming more and more sophisticated.. Criminals who impersonate trusted companies or entities to commit fraud. To do this, they do not hesitate to use the names of well-known companies. And in many cases, they succeed.
In this sense, both Amazon and Microsoft consider it essential that their clients have the security that no one can deceive them by impersonating them. It is a task that involves acting on several fronts:
- Inform and raise awareness among consumers about the problem.
- Invest in control and security technologies.
- Take legal action to hold criminals accountable.
It is often said that unity is strength. The security managers of both companies will have thought the same thing, coming to the conclusion that there is no choice but join forces to combat fraud and put a stop to a problem that harms them equally. The first results are already being seen, although the final objective is to achieve an absolute level of security. Will something like this be possible?
Kathy Sheehan, vice president and deputy general counsel of Business Conduct & Ethics of Amazon, has stated the following in this regard: «We are pleased to have joined forces with Microsoft and believe these types of collaborations are critical to helping protect consumers from phishing scams.«. He has also added that Amazon will continue to be vigilant and continue working to always be one step ahead of scammers.
Faced with such a great challenge, there is no other way to face it than by collaborating with other actors involved. The Amazon-Microsoft alliance that seems to be seeing the light at the moment could be just the first step in a long series.We can't win this battle alone —Sheean admits— “We therefore encourage other companies in the industry to join us and create a united front against criminal activity.”
Customer security at Amazon
Amazon has long applied a zero-tolerance policy toward criminals who impersonate the company to commit some type of fraud. Thanks to your actions and complaints More than 20.000 web pages dedicated to scams have been closed by the phishing method and nearly 10.000 phone numbers in 2022.
For greater transparency, all Amazon customers can see their order history. The same with respect to all communications maintained with the online store. Something important that any user should know is that Amazon will never request payment from us by phone or email. This is only possible through the mobile application or from the website itself. Only with this information will most clients be safe from unpleasant surprises.
In any case, when in doubt it is always prudent to distrust. If we are not clear who is trying to communicate with us, it is best to stop interacting and immediately report to Amazon through the tools that the company puts at our disposal.
For its part, Microsoft has a website where it reports on the most common scams which includes information to learn how to identify them and what steps to follow if we believe we have been affected.
Will the efforts of Microsoft and Amazon be enough to fight phishing crimes? Be that as it may, it seems that they have no choice but to continue down this path to defend their clients, but also to maintain their own prestige.