Action Fraud said it has received several reports from victims who have been sent convincing looking emails claiming to be from “service@amazon.co.uk”, which make out that the recipients have made an order online and mimic an automatic customer email notification.

The emails state if recipients haven’t authorised the transaction they can click on the help centre link to receive a full refund. The link leads to an authentic-looking website, which asks victims to confirm their name, address, and bank card information.

In one example an email claimed a recipient ordered an expensive vintage chandelier, while others reported examples include Bose stereos, iPhone’s, cameras and luxury watches.

One victim reported entering his Nationwide banking details and later found out £750 had been stolen from his account. After the victim notified Nationwide it cancelled the card and refunded the money in full.

What to look out for

Amazon said suspicious emails will often contain:

• Links to websites that look like Amazon.co.uk, but aren’t Amazon.co.uk.

• Attachments or prompts to install software on your computer.

• Typos or grammatical errors.

• Forged (or spoofed) email addresses to make it look like the email is coming from amazon.co.uk

In addition Amazon said it will never ask for personal information be supplied by email. If you receive such an email, it may be best to delete it without clicking any links. You can also report it to Action Fraud.