Alexa for Shopping Can Now Check if Amazon Emails, Texts and Calls Are Real

Amazon has launched a communication verification feature in Alexa for Shopping that lets U.S. users check whether an email, text, phone call or other message claiming to be from Amazon is genuine. The tool compares information provided by a customer with Amazon’s own records and returns a result within seconds.

The feature addresses a frequent customer-service issue for Amazon. The company says 360,000 customers contact its support operation each year to ask whether a communication they received actually came from Amazon.

Users can ask Alexa for Shopping about a suspicious message by providing details such as where it came from, when it arrived and what it said. Amazon then checks the information against its communication records, including the sender, content, timing and formatting.

The system returns one of three outcomes: the communication is confirmed as coming from Amazon, it does not match an official Amazon message, or Amazon is unable to verify it. Each response also includes security guidance and suggested next steps. For example, a customer could ask whether Amazon sent a text about a delivery problem, whether an email concerning a Prime membership is authentic, or whether a phone call about a refund came from the company.

“Scammers thrive when customers can't easily verify whether a message is real,” said Scott Knapp, vice president of worldwide buyer risk prevention at Amazon. “That’s why we built a tool to put certainty directly in customers’ hands, in real time, when they need it most. It’s part of our broader commitment to educate and empower customers and protect them against scams.”

The verification capability expands Alexa for Shopping beyond its existing functions for finding and comparing products and managing shopping carts through conversational requests.

Amazon says the tool only labels a communication as authentic when it can confirm that conclusion with certainty. When a message cannot be verified, Alexa for Shopping directs the user toward additional reporting and verification options.

Those alternatives include verify@amazon.com, an email address Amazon introduced earlier this year. Anyone can forward a suspicious communication to that address and receive a response indicating whether it originated from Amazon. The service does not require an Amazon account.

Amazon also provides a verification form through its customer service pages. With the addition of Alexa for Shopping, customers now have three separate ways to check communications directly with Amazon.

Requests submitted through Alexa for Shopping are also reported to Amazon’s customer protection and enforcement team. The company says those reports contribute to its efforts to identify scam techniques and take action against bad actors.

Amazon is initially making the Alexa for Shopping verification feature available in the U.S. and plans to expand it to additional regions over time. The email and customer service verification options are already available to customers worldwide.

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This analysis is based on reporting from Amazon.

Image courtesy of Amazon.

This article was generated with AI assistance and reviewed for accuracy and quality.