Amazon Spain denies that data of five million individuals hacked in cybersecurity attack belongs to its users

Amazon Spain has denied that the data of five million people, which a cybercriminal announced were being traded on the dark web on 28 May, belong to customers of the company. According to the perpetrator, the data hacked include username, ID number, email address, home address and telephone number. The existence of this database was shared on social media by the account HackManac, which specialises in reporting this type of leak from the dark web.

ABC contacted Amazon to find out whether the company had suffered a security breach. "While we continue to investigate, we have found no evidence that Amazon has experienced a security incident and our systems remain safe," the company said.

Amazon Spain denied that the leaked data is its customers'. On the contrary, it stated that the information could have been stolen from another company around 2020. The online retail giant said that the criminal claimed to be trading with users' IDs, which Amazon does not ask its customers to provide.

Regardless of whether the data belongs to Amazon customers, its illegal collection could lead to organised large, personalised scam campaigns. If the hacked information is real, victims could receive phone calls impersonating third parties or malicious text messages and emails, tricking them to submit more sensitive information, such as passwords or online banking details. The messages could also contain malicious code intended to extract this type of data from infected devices.

Cybersecurity experts recommend that you always pay special attention to suspicious-sounding type of communication. Before sharing any information, be it by email, SMS or phone call, it is best to verify that the person contacting you is a representative of the insitution or company they refer to.