Amazon Driver Chat Text Scam & How to Avoid It

Is your Amazon driver chat text a scam?

Amazon driver chat texts have many of the hallmarks of phishing messages. They have a sense of urgency (you don’t want to have the Amazon delivery driver abort the delivery because you didn’t get back to them in time), include a weird URL, and don’t give you enough information to know what’s going on without tapping on the link.

The thing is, if your driver chat text comes from an Amazon number and includes a link that goes to the domain a.co, it’s probably not a scam. The way these texts are presented raises so many red flags, though, that you have to be all the more alert when interacting with them.
Relaxing your standards for identifying a legit text message because of these SMSs would leave open to a whole host of phishing attacks. A successful phishing attack leaves hackers and scammers with your contact and financial information that they can then use to target you with further scams and even steal your identity.

How to spot a scam driver chat text

Legit Amazon driver chat texts already look so concerning that you have to be extra careful when deciding if you trust the one you received. Here’s an example of a real message:

There’s nothing in this message that a scammer wouldn’t know. It doesn’t include your name (although scammers can easily find that on a people search site) or the order number, for example.

It does include a link, though, and it’s certainly not one that goes to the amazon.com domain. The thing is that Amazon really does own the a.co domain, and links that go to this domain are in fact official.

So a fake version of this message might look exactly the same and simply include a different link. This makes it far too easy to overlook a slight change to an already weird URL and end up on a phishing site. 

Here are some common red flags to look out for when deciding whether or not to trust an SMS that claims to be from Amazon:

• Links that don’t go to URLs belonging to the amazon.com or a.co domains.
• SMSs from a regular ten-digit phone number (not one of the short numbers that Amazon has used to send you One-Time Passwords (OTPs) or other messages before).
• Poor spelling and grammar—companies as big as Amazon almost never make these kinds of mistakes.
• A sense of urgency—threats, promises, and ultimatums are huge red flags.
• Encouragement to click on buttons and links rather than visit the Amazon website—still a red flag even though the official SMS does exactly this.

As you can see, legit Amazon driver chat texts don’t exactly pass this test with flying colors. They create a sense of urgency, encourage you to tap on seemingly random URLs, and often come from a number you’ve never seen before. Luckily, there’s a foolproof way to deal with these messages.

What to do if you get an Amazon driver chat text message

The quickest, easiest, and safest way to deal with these messages is to treat them like a notification telling you to open your Amazon app or log into your account through a browser.

Don’t tap on the link in the message. Check your Amazon account directly through the app or in a browser (by navigating to amazon.com). If the message you received was real, there’ll be a chat message from your delivery driver waiting for you there.

If you prefer the convenience of being able to just tap on the URL you’re sent, then do the above the first time you receive a message like this. Check that the time stamps on the SMS and Amazon chat message are similar. If they are, save the number from which you got that message in your contacts.

What to do if you fell victim to an Amazon driver chat text scam

A real delivery driver chat text raises enough red flags to be that much more difficult to differentiate from a fake one. All is not lost if you’ve already fallen for a scam text and ended up on a phishing site masquerading as the Amazon login page. Here’s what you should do next:

Secure your Amazon account

The scammer has both your Amazon password and username if you tried to log into a phishing site. Change your password immediately to lock them out.

Secure your finances

The same holds true for any credit card or banking information you entered into a phishing site. Call your bank and explain what happened.

Secure your devices

Clicking on random links and visiting dodgy websites can leave you with malware on your device. Use reputable software to scan for and remove malware on your phone and any other potentially affected devices.

Report the scam

Reporting what happened to you can indirectly help you recover funds or even your identity down the line. It’ll definitely make life that little bit more difficult for the scammers to find new victims. Here are a couple of good places to start:

• Amazon’s reporting page: start here and follow the instructions.
• The Better Business Bureau: file a complaint with the BBB to raise awareness about the scam and warn others.
• The Federal Trade Commission: the FTC has a website on which you can report fraud.

Begin the identity recovery process

It’s possible to give up enough personal information to make identity theft a real threat. If you feel this might apply to you, visit the Federal Trade Commission’s identity theft portal and see what next steps are right for you.

Do you want to know about more Amazon scams to be aware of? Check out these guides:

• Amazon Airpod Raffle Text Scam
• Amazon Free Coat Scam
• Fake Amazon Order Confirmation Scam
• Amazon iPhone Scam
• Amazon Winner of the Day Scam
• Amazon Locked Account Scam
• Amazon Massage Gun Scam
• Amazon Anniversary Scam
• Amazon Bonus Credit Text Scam
• Amazon Survey Scam
• Amazon Brushing Scam