Cyber security experts have issued a warning to Amazon users about a rising scam involving Airbnb gift cards, expected to increase over the summer.
Criminals are impersonating friends and family using email ‘spoofing’ techniques to trick victims into buying gift cards on Amazon and sending them to scammers.
Victims believe they’re helping a loved one, only to later discover that the request was fake.
Louise Hogood recently lost £350 in the scam after receiving what appeared to be an email from her elderly uncle.
She said: ‘I received an email which appeared to be from my elderly uncle, and it was his correct email address, so I didn’t question whether it was him or not.’
‘In the email, he asked for help with buying an Airbnb gift voucher on Amazon for his friend’s daughter’s birthday – which was that day – but he couldn’t speak over the phone as he had laryngitis. He is so thoughtful, so it seemed like a legitimate email.’
Louise didn’t notice that during the back-and-forth, the scammer had changed the reply email address, and though it still contained her uncle’s name, the domain was different.
After sending the gift card, Louise received another message asking for a second round of funds, claiming the first wasn’t enough for the accommodation her uncle’s friend had decided on.
Criminals are impersonating friends and family using email ‘spoofing’ techniques to trick victims into buying gift cards on Amazon and sending them to scammers (stock image)
Louise Hogood recently lost £350 in the scam after receiving what appeared to be an email from her elderly uncle (Pictured: a screenshot of the Airbnb gift card page on Amazon)
To reassure her, the scammer sent a fake screenshot of a Lloyds Bank transfer that was supposed to show her uncle sending the money back to her.
Louise said: ‘That’s when I knew it was a scam, it was a really bad Photoshop job with different fonts on it and weird colours.’
Despite acting quickly and contacting Amazon, Airbnb and her bank, Louise was told there was nothing they could do.
Amazon said the gift card had already been redeemed, and Airbnb said they had no record of the email it was sent to.
She said: ‘Amazon told me they couldn’t do anything about it because the gift card had been sent to the receiver, and that I had to speak to Airbnb with it being a third-party supplier.
‘When I phoned Airbnb, they looked for the user under the email address the gift card had been sent to. But as they couldn’t find anyone on the platform, they said they couldn’t do anything more.
‘They did say if I could get a PIN number for the gift card, they could try and cancel it. So, I requested this from Amazon and spoke to Airbnb again.’
When Louise tried again with more information, including the card’s PIN, she was told Airbnb could not track it, as their gift cards are managed by a third party.
After sending the gift card, Louise received another message asking for a second round of funds – to reassure her, the scammer sent a fake screenshot of a Lloyds Bank transfer (pictured) that was supposed to show her uncle sending the money back to her
She said: ‘They told me that regardless of the PIN number, ID or any other information I provided, they couldn’t do anything because their gift cards are handled by another company and therefore, they had no way of tracking it.
‘As a final port of call I phoned Amazon again. They tried to resend a gift card to my email address, as it would then cancel the original one, but the scammer had already redeemed it.’
Louise added: ‘I couldn’t believe that two of the biggest tech companies in the world, couldn’t trace a gift card that had been acquired under a scam.’
Cyber expert Sarah Knowles from Shift Key Cyber said scammers are getting more advanced, using AI to mimic writing styles, making it harder to spot fake messages.
She said: ‘Fraudsters are now taking advantage of the website’s third-party suppliers and targeting their customers too.
‘In this instance, a scammer is likely to have used an AI programme to replicate how Louise’s elderly uncle tends to write his emails, so it sounds even more convincing.’
‘It is not a coincidence that there is no way to track the Airbnb gift cards through Amazon or Airbnb, that is one of the main reasons for the scammers to carry out the attack.
With summer holidays approaching, she advised Amazon shoppers and account holders on similar platforms to be extra cautious.
Cyber expert Sarah Knowles from Shift Key Cyber said scammers are getting more advanced, using AI to mimic writing styles, making it harder to spot fake messages.
Experts urge people never to buy gift cards based on email or text requests without confirming directly with the person. Suspected scams should be reported to your bank and Action Fraud immediately.
It comes as tourists have been urged to be on their guard for a scam that preys on Booking.com users – and could see them lose thousands.
With the school holidays just around the corner, many Brits will have booked a summer getaway.
But experts have warned that scammers using the platform are targeting holidaymakers by sending false messages and emails from hotel accounts.
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