I keep getting email messages warning me that my Amazon Prime account is about to be deleted. I’m suspicious about these messages, however, so can you tell me how to check when my Amazon Prime account actually does end? Thanks!
Estimates suggest that there are about 150 million Amazon Prime members in the United States, which means it’s a pretty safe bet that if a spammer sends email to a dozen people, at least one of them will have a Prime account. A standard approach for spammers is to then create a sense of urgency so that you react before you think through the warning, making it that much more likely you’ll move too fast and ignore all the warning signs. That’s why you’ll never see a spam message saying that your account will be deleted in two weeks; where’s the urgency in that?
Instead, the most common messages I receive are all about “deleted TODAY” or similar. The goal is for you to click, go to the bogus site, enter your Amazon credentials (including your password!) and then typically have it say that all is well, sorry for the mixup. Meanwhile, the hackers have your Amazon credentials and quickly purchase hundreds of dollars worth of gift cards that they send to themselves. By the time you realize, they’ve already cashed them in. Obviously, this is not good!
As with so many of these scams, the smart move is to take a deep breath and then ask yourself how you can check the veracity of the claim without clicking on any links included. Bank error? Type in the URL of your bank’s Web site and check. Utility saying you haven’t paid? Type in the URL of your utility and check. In this instance, simply go to amazon.com – by typing in the URL – and check. Here’s how…
FIRST, THE SPAM MESSAGES
To say that I get a lot of these spam messages is an understatement. Check out what I see when I search for “prime” in my spam folder:
Amazing, I’m getting a variation on the message every few hours. And they all have that sense of urgency I mentioned earlier: My account won’t be removed in two weeks, it’s going to be removed today! Of course I then feel it’s critical to respond today too, and that’s how the scammers get you. Be skeptical!
CHECK YOUR AMAZON PRIME ACCOUNT STATUS
Go to Amazon.com (type in the URL, don’t trust my links either. It’s good practice). On the top right you’ll see your profile pic. Click on it to reveal the main menu:
As highlighted, choose “Account” from the menu. Hopefully you’ve explored this menu before now, but if not, notice that there are a lot of useful shortcuts for everything Amazon.
Click on “Account” and you’ll get to a page full of shortcuts:
As highlighted, find the “Prime” option (top right on my screen) and click on it.
You’ll see your plan – if any – along with the rate you’re paying, the renewal date, and a link to membership options. Even though I have all those emails warning me of my Prime account being deleted today, in fact I have seven months until I need to worry about renewal.
While we’re here, click on “Membership” to see a few additional options you might want to consider:
You can request a renewal reminder email, but more importantly, you can share your Prime benefits with other family members, making it even that much more valuable.
That’s it. Every time you get an email, text, voicemail, or even call telling you something is happening NOW, always take a deep breath and figure out how to verify it without utilizing any information from the other party. It’s surprising how often it’s not legit.
Pro Tip: I’ve been writing about online scams for many years. Please check out my spam, scams and security help area while you’re visiting. Thanks!