By SUE SUCHYTA
Sunday Times Newspapers
TRENTON — A woman who received an email from a con artist June 27 claiming her Amazon account may have been hacked called a phone number provided in the email to dispute the charges and was told to purchase gift cards to pay for an investigation.
However, when the woman went to buy the gift cards, she and the store clerk determined that the woman was being scammed, so she didn’t purchase any gift cards.
The woman then reviewed her credit card statement and found unauthorized charges, for which the credit card company did not hold her responsible.
The police officer taking her report helped her change her Amazon password, and told her to change all her other account passwords, each with a unique combination. She was also given an identity theft packet, and was advised to contact the credit bureau agencies to ensure that no new accounts were opened in her name.