Retiree, 70, lost over $2,000 in an Amazon impersonation scam. How fraudsters got him ‘hook, line and sinker’

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As Amazon impersonation scams become more sophisticated, even cautious consumers are being caught off guard. Dorian Jones was one of them.

The 70-year-old retired charity volunteer believed he was taking the right precautions when someone claiming to work for Amazon called about suspicious purchases on his account. Skeptical at first, he questioned the caller. But after a second person phoned to "verify" the employee's identity, he believed the call was legitimate.

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"It was so authentic. He got the better of me," Jones told the BBC (1), adding that the scam had him "hook, line and sinker."

Believing he was dealing with legitimate Amazon staff, Jones followed their instructions, allowing the scammers to steal 1,800 pounds (over $2,400 USD) (2) from two of his bank accounts through 12 separate transactions.

Jones said the callers appeared to know extensive details about his life, including his family. They also repeatedly urged him to hang up and reconnect, claiming scammers were "listening in" on the call.

At one point, the caller warned that Jones' IP address had been compromised and his phone was no longer secure, convincing him he was speaking with someone trying to protect him.

"My wife was shouting in the background, 'Dorian this isn't right.' He caught me off guard," Jones told the BBC.

His experience reflects a broader trend. According to the Federal Trade Commission (3), nearly 96,000 consumers reported being targeted by Amazon impersonators over a one-year period, with almost 6,000 saying they lost money.

Those victims reported more than $27 million in losses, with the typical victim losing about $1,000. Adults 60 and older were especially vulnerable, with older consumers more than four times as likely as younger people to report losing money. Their median reported loss was $1,500, compared with $814 for victims under 60.