Amazon's New AI Tool Fights Scams by Verifying Messages in Real Time

Amazon has rolled out a new tool to help customers verify whether messages they receive are legitimate or scams. The verification tool is housed under Amazon's Alexa for Shopping feature and uses artificial intelligence to compare what a customer received against a record of every message Amazon sent.

The tool analyzes various factors, including who sent the message, what it says, when it was sent, and how it is formatted. If the message is from Amazon, the customer will see a response that reads, 'Yes, this message is an official Amazon communication.'

If the message does not match any official Amazon communication based on the provided information, the customer will receive a response stating so. In cases where the tool cannot verify with absolute certainty, it will default to providing guidance to retry or reach out to verify@amazon.com.

The verification tool is currently only available in the United States through Alexa for Shopping and is part of Amazon's broader commitment to educate and empower customers and protect them against scams. The company also partners with the Better Business Bureau to provide a searchable scam tracker as another way for customers to verify suspicious messages.