Watch Out for These Fake Fraud Alerts From Apple and Amazon

If you get a security pop-up while you're browsing online alerting you to an unauthorized charge attached to one of your accounts, don't panic, and don't act impulsively. Scammers are currently using these alerts to impersonate Apple and Amazon support (and possibly others) to convince people that their accounts have been compromised and need to be verified to prevent further fraudulent activity. Naturally, this is just a ruse designed to gain access to your device or accounts, which will do far more damage than the fake alert itself. How the unauthorized charge scam works This campaign, described by Malwarebytes Labs , starts with a browser pop-up that appears on top of Apple's or Amazon's website. The alerts are designed to look like legitimate notifications and state that the user's Apple ID or Amazon account was recently used to make a $149.99 purchase. Targets are urged to call the support number listed—the same on both pop-ups—immediately to prevent further unauthorized activity. The scammer on the other end of the line may try to convince you to download a tool that provides remote access to your device, hand over credentials, or even pay a fee to protect your account. If you Google the number listed in this specific campaign, you'll find a fake Amazon support website ("amazonhelp[dot]support") set up by fraudsters to make the scheme look more legitimate—of course, the real Amazon customer service site is hosted on amazon.com. Other scam hallmarks pre…