Social media users spread false rumors of Amazon hack
- Published on December 13, 2023 at 18:28
- 2 min read
- By AFP USA
Copyright © AFP 2017-2024. Any commercial use of this content requires a subscription. Click here to find out more.
"Amazon got hacked. For USA based people, check your Amazon account. Hackers added HUB lockers as your default delivery addresses," says a December 1, 2023 Instagram post.
Other versions of the rumor have circulated on Facebook, TikTok and X, formerly known as Twitter -- some receiving thousands of likes amid the busy holiday shopping season.
The posts claim hackers added one or more addresses to users' accounts as alternative pickup locations so they can redirect and steal packages.
Some include screenshots of the new addresses, with labels such as "Amazon Counter at Whole Foods Market," "Amazon Fresh" and "Amazon Hub Locker." These alternative delivery methods, some of which require a code to access, are designed for customers who wish to pick up packages from a secure location to avoid theft.
Amazon has refuted the hacking rumors on social media, saying the address changes were due to an internal error.
"This isn’t a data security matter and our systems are secure. Amazon pickup locations were added to a small number of customer accounts in error, and we are working to fix the issue," Amazon Help replied to one X user in a December 11, 2023 post (archived here).
@_KaiiB_ This isn’t a data security matter and our systems are secure. A very small number of customers had Amazon pickup locations added to their accounts in error, and we are working to fix the issue. -Dawn
— Amazon Help (@AmazonHelp) December 11, 2023
A spokesperson also told Snopes on December 7 that there was "no evidence of a security event at Amazon and our systems remain secure" -- and that the company was "working to fix" the erroneous alternative delivery addresses.
AFP contacted Amazon for additional comment.
Is there content that you would like AFP to fact-check? Get in touch.
Contact us
