Beware of Hacked Third Party Amazon Accounts
You can save some money and even get price protection if you buy from a third-party seller on Amazon. But you have to be careful. According to the Wall Street Journal, the number of hacked third-party accounts on Amazon has increased recently.
Hackers break into these accounts using stolen usernames and passwords. Having gained access, they change the information about the user’s bank and begin to put up non-existent items for sale. Shoppers buy these items, send their payments to a blocked account, and then never receive the items. The Wall Street Journal reports that hackers target inactive or infrequently used accounts that may take longer for users to notice that they have been compromised. Hacked sellers may not realize that they have been hacked until they receive a slew of customer complaints demanding refunds for items that have not been shipped.
You can save money by buying from a third-party seller, but it’s a good reminder to read reviews, research the seller, and use common sense. As Consumerist points out, you should be skeptical about third-party sellers who offer expensive items at a ridiculous discount. The old “if it’s too good to be true” cliché applies here.