THE SCAM
The Amazon Prime refund that asks for a fee.
Real money is moving, and scammers are riding the news. Amazon has started another round of automatic Prime refunds under its settlement with the FTC, with eligible customers getting up to $200 total by PayPal, Venmo, or mailed check.
The scam version arrives as a call, text, or email. Someone claiming to be from the FTC or Amazon says they can arrange your refund, unlock it faster, or give you special access — for a fee, or in exchange for your bank or personal details.
THE RED FLAG
Anyone contacts you about this refund at all. The FTC says it is not contacting people about Amazon refunds, and neither the FTC nor Amazon will ask you to pay money to receive one.
There is also nothing to claim. Eligible refunds are sent automatically, with no form to fill out and no notice to answer. A message that asks you to act, pay, or hand over financial information to get your money is doing the opposite of how the real payments work.
THE RULE
Never pay to receive a refund, and never give bank details to someone who contacted you about one. If a real payment is coming to you, it arrives on its own.
If you want to check your status, do not use a link or number from the message. Go to ftc.gov yourself, search for the Amazon refunds page, and read it there. Treat every unsolicited Prime-refund call or message as a scam until the FTC's own page says otherwise.
(Source: FTC warning reported by ConsumerAffairs, October 5, 2026)
SIGN-OFF
That's today's red flag. One scam, one red flag, one rule — pass it to someone who clicks first and asks questions later.
Got a scam text or a sketchy email? Send it via the contact page — the best ones make future red flags.