Fake Amazon product recall text says your recent purchase is unsafe — click here to refund
A text impersonating Amazon, Walmart, or Costco claims a recent purchase was recalled for safety reasons and offers a link to process your refund. The link leads to a fake login page that harvests your account credentials and payment details.
Also known as: fake Amazon recall text, product recall phishing text, Amazon safety recall SMS scam, fake Walmart recall text, retail recall smishing
Already happened to you? Do this in the next few minutes
- 1 Call your bank or card's fraud line right now. Use the number on the back of your card — not any number from the message or caller. Ask them to stop or reverse the payment and freeze the account.
- 2 If you paid by gift card, wire, or an app (Zelle, Venmo, Cash App): contact that company immediately and report it as fraud. Acting fast sometimes recovers the money.
- 3 Report to the FBI at ic3.gov and the FTC at reportfraud.ftc.gov. The sooner, the better.
What to do right now
- 1 Do not click the link — delete the text immediately
- 2 Go directly to the Amazon app or amazon.com and check the 'Your Recalls and Product Safety Alerts' section under Account to see any legitimate recall notices
- 3 If you clicked and entered your Amazon password, change it immediately at amazon.com/a/settings/approval and check your order history for unauthorized purchases
- 4 Verify real product recalls at https://www.cpsc.gov/Recalls (Consumer Product Safety Commission) or at recalls.gov
- 5 If you entered a payment card number on the fake site, call your card issuer immediately to dispute charges and get a new card
- 6 Report to the FTC at https://reportfraud.ftc.gov and the FBI's IC3 at https://www.ic3.gov.
Red flags
- ⚠ Amazon does not notify customers of product recalls by text message — real recall notices arrive by email and are visible in the 'Your Recalls and Product Safety Alerts' section of your Amazon account
- ⚠ The product description is deliberately vague ('an item from your recent order') so almost any Amazon shopper might believe it applies to them
- ⚠ The text creates urgency around safety ('recalled for your protection') to prompt immediate action before you think to verify
- ⚠ The link uses a URL shortener or an unofficial domain — not amazon.com — to hide its true destination
- ⚠ Clicking the link leads to a fake Amazon-lookalike login page or a survey loop that collects your credentials and device fingerprint
Known variants
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July 4th and summer holiday smishing campaign: texts impersonate Costco, Publix, Target, and Walmart with 'Fourth of July Flash Sale' or 'Holiday Appreciation Gift' offers. Links go to fake shopping sites that harvest card numbers. Bitdefender tracked this wave starting July 1, 2026 targeting CA, FL, GA, AL, and TX.
Last seen: 7/4/2026
Sources
- Consumer Reports / WRAL — Scammers are texting fake product recall notices (Mar 2026)
- Trend Micro — Scammers are impersonating Amazon with fake product recall texts (May 2026)
- AARP Fraud Watch Network — Product Recall Scams Are on the Rise (2026)
- Fox News — Amazon recall text scam targets shoppers with phishing links (2026)
- McAfee Blog — Fake Amazon recall texts and how to stay safe (2026)
- Malwarebytes — Scammers pose as Amazon support to steal your account (Apr 2026)
- Bitdefender Labs — July 4th 2026 flash sale smishing campaign impersonates Costco, Publix, and other retailers (Jul 2026)
- BBB — 4th of July scams include fake flash sale texts and brand giveaway frauds (Jul 2026)