Two-Person 'Amazon' Scam Cost 70-Year-Old £1,800 After Fake Verification Call

Summary: A coordinated two-person scam impersonating Amazon left 70-year-old Dorian Jones of Westbury, Wiltshire, out of pocket by £1,800 after nearly two hours on the phone. The fraudsters used a convincing first call, a second caller who 'verified' the first, fake bank texts and claims that his device and IP had been compromised.

Dorian Jones, a retired charity volunteer, became suspicious when a man phoned claiming to be from Amazon and warned that two smartphones were being purchased on his account. When Jones logged into his Amazon account he saw two phones in his basket — a detail the scammers used to make the call feel connected to his real account.

The scam unfolded when a second caller rang and identified themselves as an official Amazon representative. Jones put the two callers on the line and asked the second to authenticate the first. That apparent verification turned his attempt to check the call into part of the con and helped convince him the callers were legitimate.

The scammers also warned that another fraudster was listening in, claimed Jones's IP address had been corrupted and said his phone was no longer secure. While his wife raised concerns, Jones received fake text messages purporting to be from his bank and was told to press numbers on his keypad to "cancel" the activity. By the end of the nearly two-hour exchange, £1,800 had been withdrawn from two of his bank accounts in 12 separate transactions.

Jones canceled his bank cards and contacted the police. According to reporting by Moneywise and the BBC, Amazon confirmed it has been helping Jones secure his account and reiterated common impersonation tactics used by fraudsters.

What Amazon and Authorities Say

Amazon warns that fraudsters may contact customers by phone, email or text and create false urgency around payments, devices or account security. The company stresses it will never ask for:

• Passwords or one-time passcodes
• Bank card details or full card numbers
• Gift card codes
• Remote access to devices

The US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and other consumer authorities have repeatedly warned about similar impersonation scams that begin with a suspicious-purchase alert and develop into more elaborate narratives about hacked accounts or urgent money transfers.

How To Protect Yourself

If you receive a suspicious call claiming to be from Amazon:

• Hang up immediately.
• Open the Amazon app or website independently (do not follow links or numbers from the caller) and check Order History and the Message Center — any real issue should appear there.
• Do not share one-time passcodes, passwords, bank details, card numbers, gift card codes, or give remote access to unknown callers.
• If a caller claims your phone, IP address or account is compromised, end the call and use a separate trusted device to contact your bank and Amazon directly.

If Money Has Been Stolen

• Contact your bank immediately to ask whether transactions can be frozen or reversed and cancel affected cards.
• Change Amazon and email passwords from a clean device and remove unknown devices from your accounts.
• Preserve evidence: call logs, bank texts, screenshots, account alerts, transaction records, phone numbers and any names used by callers.
• Report the scam to Amazon's official scam-reporting tools, local police, the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov and the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center at IC3.gov.

"Scammers use layers of fake verification to appear legitimate. Verifying a caller by using another caller they control is a known tactic — always independently verify via official apps or websites."

Note: This account draws on reporting by Moneywise and the BBC and reflects guidance from Amazon and consumer protection agencies.