Amazon has added a way for customers to check whether a text, email, or phone call really came from the company. And all it takes is asking Alexa.
The voice feature, part of Alexa for Shopping, arrives as Amazon’s Big Deal Days sale pushes a wave of orders out the door, a time when more packages in transit usually means more fake delivery alerts, and Amazon remains one of the brands scammers impersonate most often.
According to Amazon, the new verification tool uses AI to compare what a customer describes against the company’s own record of messages it has actually sent. The system only confirms a message is genuine when it is completely certain; otherwise, it warns that the message does not match records or that it is unable to verify the communication.
Shoppers can ask Alexa questions such as:
- “Did Amazon send me a text about a delivery problem yesterday?”
- “Is this email about my Prime membership from Amazon real?”
- “Someone texted me from this phone number about a package. Is that Amazon?”
Alexa may follow up by asking for the number that reached out or when the message arrived. The feature is currently limited to U.S. customers, with plans to expand later.
The scams themselves aren’t tied to sale events. They run all year, impersonate far more companies than just Amazon, and share one common thread: pressure.
To counter the urgency, the basic advice remains what it has always been. Don’t open attachments from suspicious emails, and don’t hand over account numbers, Social Security numbers, passwords, or PINs. Unexpected delivery texts shouldn’t get a reply. If something looks off, log into your Amazon account directly and check there instead of tapping a link.
Sources: Amazon, FTC, WCPO 9 News, Consumer Sentinel Data (FTC)