SCAM WATCH
SCAM WATCH: Scammers are using recall notices to steal information
A fake text message claiming a recently purchased Amazon product has been recalled because it鈥檚 dangerous is the latest effort to defraud shoppers.
In fact, what鈥檚 dangerous is the text message, not the product.
Consumer Reports is warning that these look like legitimate recall notices, but they鈥檙e actually designed to steal personal information and money.
The texts 鈥� and sometimes emails 鈥� promise further details and refund options if the consumer clicks a link.
The scammers primarily are trying to hijack Amazon passwords so they can take over accounts, the Federal Trade Commission says.
The best approach is to go to the Amazon app or website, using your order number to check for any recalls. Another resource is recalls.gov, an official government website that centralizes safety alerts and recalls among numerous federal agencies.
Facebook can be a source of scams
Facebook may be fun, but it鈥檚 also proven again to be a hotbed of dangerous fraud. Thirty percent of people who reported losing money to a scam last year were victimized on social media, with more money lost on Facebook than any other social media platform, according to a new FTC report.
In fact, in 2025, people reported losing far more money to scams on Facebook alone 鈥� $794 million 鈥� than they lost to text or email scams, the FTC鈥檚 Data Spotlight report says.
鈥淪ocial media creates easy access to billions of people from anywhere in the world, making a scammer鈥檚 job easier at very little cost,鈥� the report says. 鈥淪cammers may hack a user鈥檚 account, exploit what a user posts to figure out how to target them, or buy ads and use the same tools used by real businesses to target people by age, interests or shopping habits.鈥�
WhatsApp and Instagram came in a distant second and third place for financial losses. Most of the social media fraud came in the form of shopping schemes, with people reporting that they were duped by ads they saw for everything from clothes and car parts to puppies.
Many of those ads led to unfamiliar websites, while others took shoppers to sites that faked well-known brands and offered big discounts, the FTC said.
In dollar amounts, the biggest losses were due to investment scams that originated on social media, with losses of $1.1 billion.
Such ads offered a program to teach about investment, for example. Sometimes, fraudsters pretended they were friendly advisers or created WhatsApp groups of 鈥渟uccessful鈥� investors sharing fake testimonials.
Protect yourself on social media by:
Limiting who can see your posts and comments.
Reviewing privacy settings 鈥渢o set some restrictions so scammers have less to work with,鈥� the FTC says.
Checking out the company by searching online for its name and the words 鈥渟cam鈥� or 鈥渃omplaint.鈥�
Contact Ellen Marks at emarks@abqjournal.com if you are aware of what sounds like a scam. To report a scam to law enforcement, contact the New Mexico Consumer Protection Division at 505-490-4060. Complaints can be filed electronically at nmag.gov/contact-us/file-a-complaint/.
