Scam Artists Use Amazon Account To Rip Off Westlake Woman

WESTLAKE, OH — Scammers ripped off a Westlake woman this month, convincing her that she needed to buy gift cards to secure her Amazon account.

On Feb. 16, at 3 p.m., a resident came to Westlake Police Department and reported she had been scammed out of money. She told police she received a phone call from a woman claiming to be from "Amazon Security."

The caller convinced the resident her Amazon account had been targeted by "hundreds of hackers." The only way to secure the compromised account was to buy hundreds of dollars in gift cards from various stores, the scammer said. All of the gift cards would be refunded once the account was secured, the scammer promised.

Police said they chronicled the scam in a police report, but the victim is likely out of the money she spent on the gift cards.

If you're concerned someone may be trying to scam you using your Amazon information, check the company's customer service page for tips on avoiding cons.