I received an unusual notification that appeared to come from the Amazon app. Tapping it opened a suspicious scam website directly in Chrome. The notification displayed Amazon's name and logo, and I haven't installed any apps that imitate Amazon. My phone is brand new, and I've only installed apps from the Google Play Store. Chrome also had no tabs open. Could Amazon's systems have been compromised, or is there another explanation for this?
2 Answers
It’s more likely something local to the phone than a compromise of Amazon itself. Check which app actually sent the notification in your notification history, review apps with notification or accessibility permissions, and run Play Protect. If the notification definitely identifies the official Amazon app as the source, report it to Amazon and avoid tapping similar links.
This probably doesn’t mean Amazon was hacked. One possibility is that Chrome had previously loaded an advertising or scam page, and when the Amazon link opened Chrome, it displayed that existing page instead. Check Chrome’s notification permissions, browsing data, and installed apps for anything suspicious.
The phone is brand new, and I’ve only installed apps from the Play Store. Chrome also didn’t have any open tabs, so I’m still trying to work out how it happened.