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My Amazon Account Got Hacked! What You Can Do.

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My Amazon account got hacked due to an easy loophole I never knew about.

It’s an awful feeling. Someone was in my virtual stuff. I didn’t even know my amazon account got hacked.

The dude hijacked my account and started his spending spree using gift cards my family gave me for Christmas. All behind my back.

If you’re like me, you’re looking for life hacks to make life easier and less stressful. We have wireless WIFI with memorized passwords and cards stored online in “secure” accounts…of course they’re secure, right? They only show the last four digits of any card.

Not necessarily so secure, turns out.

Amazon account hackers beware…I’m giving the power back to the true account owners!

I had a $85.39 Amazon Gift Card balance, a $100 Amazon Gift Card, and a $50 Amazon Gift Card stored online in my Amazon Wallet. I’d uploaded them for convenience to use on a near future business purchase I was gearing up to place.

The hint my Amazon account got hacked

I received an email from Amazon thanking me for changing the email associated with my amazon account.

Puzzling because: a) I’d had client work all day, so I’d not even been in my email until 8:34pm that night and b) I had not been on Amazon at all last few days.

Figuring it was simply a phishing email, I became alarmed when I clicked on the From: in the email header and discovered what appeared to be a legitimate Amazon company email address.

Amazon Support

I immediately logged into my Amazon account to contact support.

Only-I-couldn’t-log-in. Which leads me to an aside, that I experience whenever I try to get to Amazon Support.

Ever try to find Amazon’s Help Phone Number? It’s like clicking through some video game where you have to click 14 different responses to questions that don’t even apply. {I may be exaggerating here, I’ve never actually counted my clicks}.

NO. I don’t want to answer or read anything right now. I want to speak to a live support person ASAP.

Thanks to my virtual boyfriend, Google, I found the number and called.

Yep. Someone not only hacked into my account, which means they somehow figured out my email and my password at Amazon, they also locked me out by changing the email associated with my account.

Cancel, cancel, cancel

Support helps me change back this hacker email to my email account, and then I change my password.

I log in, still on the call, and right in front of my eyes an order for Men’s extreme under armour Size L for $89.32 shows up on the screen. He must not have known he’d need to do battle with the wits of a clever, organized woman.

I tell Amazon Support to cancel the order only to be told, “Oh we can’t cancel, it’s already been shipped.”

Call me naive, but I suggest, “Well you have this fraudster’s email address, and the shipping address, can’t you track this person down and stop him doing further damage to other people?”

Nope. See, I don’t think like a cyber thief. These hackers know what they’re doing. They send things to delivery services not a home address.

My Amazon account got hacked…thief empty handed!

Thankfully I did not stop there and contacted the merchant to notify of the fraudulent purchase and they cancelled the order…thief unfulfilled!

Now I’m going to give you a financial organizing tip. Do not store gift cards on websites. They are different than credit cards, and easier for a fraudster to use. They don’t necessarily need any card numbers to use them.

Keep your card in a safe place. When you’re ready to purchase online, retrieve the gift card, and redeem it right then and there.

I now see it as inconvenient, but wise to be selective what I store online. I’m going old school. Technology is great for us…and great for hackers and thieves too.

Keeping you, sweet friend, breathing easy

I love helping people safely and responsibly hack through their lives with financial organizing such as preparation for legal matters, taxes, daily bills and managing their paper piles.

Don’t let clutter and overwhelm rob you of the life you secretly desire. Contact me to now to book your free 20 minute Discovery Call and make room for more freedom in your life!

xox,

Jul's
I’m a mindset focused professional organizer. I help entrepreneurs, busy moms and attorney clients simplify their papers and spaces. Let me help you go from clutter bug to freedom.