Is this order or prize text from Amazon a scam?

Researched & maintained by Scam ScannerLast updated 1 October 2026

No. Amazon is a legitimate global retailer with a local Australian store at amazon.com.au. The thing to worry about is the volume of fake Amazon messages in circulation: parcel-hold texts, bogus Prime refund calls demanding remote access, and payment-failed emails that lead to lookalike login pages. The good news: a few quick checks almost always tell a real Amazon message from a fake.

Genuine Amazon links lead to amazon.com, amazon.com.au — but a link can be made to look real, so don't go by the link alone. Below is how genuine Amazon contact usually works, the scams commonly run in its name, the red flags that give a fake away, and an example to compare against. Got a message in front of you? Check it now for an instant verdict.

What a real Amazon message looks like

Genuine messages from Amazon link to amazon.com, amazon.com.au. Treat a link to any other address as a warning sign.

Order, delivery and billing notices from Amazon also show up in Your Orders or the Message Centre, in the Amazon Shopping app or at amazon.com.au, so check there instead of trusting the sender name, number or link
Amazon says that if a message is an order confirmation, you can look in Your Orders for an order that matches, and that if it doesn't match an order, the message isn't from Amazon
Amazon says authentic emails from it are logged in the Message Centre on the Amazon website or mobile app
Amazon's own help page shows an example gift card text containing an amazon.com.au link, so a link in a text, or its absence, isn't proof either way; check Your Orders instead
Amazon says it will not ask you to provide payment information over the phone, and lists purchases outside Amazon and payment by gift card among the red flags of an impersonation scam

What a genuine Amazon contact shouldn't do

Pressure you to confirm or cancel an order through a link in a message; Amazon describes order confirmation scams as unexpected messages that ask you to act urgently to confirm or cancel a purchase
Ask you to provide payment information over the phone; Amazon says it will not
Ask you to install software or give remote access to process a refund; Amazon's safety tips include not giving remote access to your computer
Ask you to pay a refund, release fee or prize with gift cards; Amazon lists payment via gift cards as a red flag of an impersonation scam
Ask you to fix Prime billing through a message; Amazon says to check your Prime membership status in Your Account

Common Amazon scams

SMS claiming an Amazon package is held or needs rescheduling, with a link to amazon-com-au-delivery[.]example that asks for card details.
Email styled as an Amazon order confirmation directing recipients to click a link on amazon-secure-cancel[.]example to stop an unwanted purchase.
Phone calls alleging an erroneous Prime charge and instructing the recipient to allow remote access for an immediate refund.
Messages warning of a failed payment on Amazon AU and urging the user to update payment details on a lookalike login page.

Red flags to watch for

The message contains a link with a hyphenated or extra-word domain such as amazon-order-secure[.]example or amazon-redelivery[.]example.
The sender requests remote-desktop software or gift-card payments to process a supposed refund.
Urgent language about an order about to be cancelled or charged unless you act immediately via the provided link.
The communication arrives as an SMS with a shortened or unfamiliar web address instead of directing you to open the Amazon app.
No matching order appears when you log in directly at amazon.com.au through your browser or the official app.

Amazon scam examples

These composed examples show how scams impersonating Amazon typically read, with the tells that give each one away. Compare them against anything you've received.

Example scam text messageExample only. Not a real message.

Amazon AU: We could not deliver your package today. Reschedule at amazon-au-redelivery[.]example or the parcel will be returned to sender tomorrow.

What gives it away:

A link in a text proves nothing either way (Amazon's own help page shows a gift card text containing an amazon.com.au link); judge what the message asks you to do, and check Your Orders instead
The hyphenated extra-word domain is not amazon.com.au; the page behind it exists to harvest card details
The return-to-sender deadline is pressure theatre; open the Amazon Shopping app and check Your Orders instead

Example scam phone callExample only. Not a real message.

A caller says a Prime membership charge was applied to your account in error and offers an immediate refund, but first you must install a remote-access app so they can 'process it' while you are logged in to your bank.

What gives it away:

A caller demanding remote access is a scam signal whoever they claim to be; Amazon's safety tips include not giving remote access to your computer
A 'refund' that requires you to open your banking while a stranger watches is a setup for theft, not a refund
Amazon says to check your Prime membership status in Your Account; hang up and check there yourself

Example scam emailExample only. Not a real message.

Subject: Payment declined, action required. Your recent Amazon order is on hold because your payment method failed. Update your details at amazon-billing-update[.]example today or your order and Prime benefits will be cancelled.

What gives it away:

Amazon says that if a message asks you to update your payment method, you can go to Your Account and open Manage Payment Options, and if you aren't prompted there, the message isn't from Amazon; this email wants you to log in on its page instead
The domain is a lookalike, not amazon.com.au or amazon.com
Bundling the order and your Prime membership into one same-day threat is manufactured urgency

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How to verify a message from Amazon

Amazon's real website is amazon.com and the official app is the Amazon Shopping app. Reach Amazon through those channels, never through the details inside a message you're unsure about.

Do not click the link, call the number, or install anything the message asks for
Open the Amazon Shopping app, or type amazon.com.au into your browser yourself, and check Your Orders and the Message Centre; a genuine issue should be visible there
For anything about Prime or billing, review your account dashboard directly rather than acting on the message
If no matching order or charge appears in your account, the message is fake; delete it

If you have been scammed in Amazon's name

Clicked the link, paid, or shared details? Act now. The first hour matters more than anything else you do later.

If you entered card details or gave a caller access to your banking, call your bank immediately, block the card and dispute any transfers or charges
If you allowed remote access, disconnect the device from the internet, uninstall the remote-access app and have the device checked before using it for banking again
Change your Amazon password from a clean device, plus everywhere else you reuse it, and turn on two-step verification
If identity documents were shared, contact IDCARE (idcare.org) for free identity support
Report the scam to Scamwatch and ReportCyber using the links below, and forward scam texts to 7226 so carriers can block the sender

Where to report a scam impersonating Amazon

Received — or fell for — a message impersonating Amazon? Report it. It helps authorities and carriers shut the campaign down for everyone who gets the next one.

Scamwatch — Report the scam to the ACCC's national scam service.
ReportCyber — Report cybercrime and financial loss to the police.
ACMA — Complain about scam texts and spam SMS, email or calls.
Forward to 7226 (SCAM) — Forward the scam SMS to short code 7226 so carriers can block the source.
IDCARE — Free identity and cyber support if your details were taken.

Amazon scam activity in 2026

Amazon impersonation runs on three engines at the moment: delivery texts that hold a parcel hostage for a small 'fee', refund calls about a Prime charge that end with a remote-access request, and payment-failed emails funnelling victims to lookalike sign-in pages. Because so many Australians genuinely have an Amazon parcel in transit at any time, the delivery lure lands often enough to keep paying. What stays constant is a link or caller pushing you to act through the message on something that can be checked inside your own account. The single habit that beats all of it is refusing to act through the message and checking Your Orders in the app instead.

Frequently asked questions

I got a text from Amazon with a link — is it a scam?

Don't use the link to find out. Amazon's own help page shows an example gift card text containing an amazon.com.au link, so a link in a text isn't proof either way. Amazon says that if a message is an order confirmation, you can look in Your Orders for a matching order, and that if it doesn't match an order, the message isn't from Amazon. Open the Amazon app or type amazon.com.au yourself to check any order.

How do I know if an Amazon email about a Prime charge is real?

Log in to your account at amazon.com.au or in the Amazon Shopping app and check your Prime membership status in Your Account, which is what Amazon's help page advises. Amazon says it will not ask you to provide payment information over the phone, and a request for remote access or a gift-card refund is a scam signal whoever is asking.

Amazon scam text asking me to cancel an order — what should I do?

Do not click the link. Report it at scamwatch.gov.au and review your actual orders inside the Amazon app or at amazon.com.au.

What is Amazon Australia's real website?

The real Australian store is amazon.com.au, and the global site is amazon.com. Amazon's help page gives sites that add words around the Amazon name as examples of sites that are not Amazon, so an extended or hyphenated address deserves suspicion. Type the address yourself or use the Amazon Shopping app rather than following links in messages.

How do I report an Amazon scam text or call?

Report it to Scamwatch (scamwatch.gov.au) so the National Anti-Scam Centre can track the campaign, and forward scam texts to 7226 (spells SCAM) so carriers can block the sender. If you lost money or gave a scammer access to a device or account, also report it to ReportCyber at cyber.gov.au and call your bank first.

Related scam types

Scams impersonating Amazon usually fit one of these patterns. Learn how each works:

Related brands

Other retail names scammers impersonate — check a message from one:

Sources

Text or SMS scams (Scamwatch (National Anti-Scam Centre))
Phone scams (Scamwatch (National Anti-Scam Centre))
Phishing scams: how scammers pose as trusted organisations (Scamwatch (National Anti-Scam Centre))
Scam trends (Amazon Australia)
Identifying whether an email, phone call, text message, WhatsApp message or webpage is from Amazon (Amazon Australia)
Common gift card scams (Amazon Australia)

This guide is general information, not legal or financial advice — always verify with Amazon through an official channel.