Amazon texted you a verification code you didn't request

An Amazon code arriving out of nowhere means someone entered a working password on your account. The second step stopped them.

Amazon accounts are among the most heavily targeted in credential stuffing, because a single account often holds a stored card, a gift card balance, saved addresses, and one-click ordering that turns access into goods with very little friction.

What to do

1. Change your password, and use Amazon's own recovery flow

Go to Your Account, then Login & Security, and change the password there. Type the address yourself rather than following a link in the message, since a text about a code is exactly what a phishing message imitates.

If anything looks like it already happened, Amazon has a "Secure Your Account" flow in the help section that walks through resetting access and reviewing recent changes.

2. Sign out everywhere

In Login & Security, end all sessions so any device that's currently signed in gets dropped. Do this after the password change, not before.

3. Check your gift card balance first

This is the step people skip, and it's where the money usually goes. A gift card balance can be spent instantly and is far harder to reverse than a card charge. Look at your balance and your gift card activity before you look at anything else.

4. Read your addresses, not just your orders

Attackers who get into an Amazon account often add a delivery address rather than changing the existing one, then place an order that looks unremarkable in your history. Check the address book for entries you didn't add, and check open orders as well as delivered ones.

5. Look at payment methods and one-click settings

Check for cards you didn't add, and review your default one-click address and payment method. One-click ordering set to an unfamiliar address is the mechanism that makes an Amazon compromise expensive.

6. Check the connected pieces

An Amazon account often reaches further than the store. Look at your Prime membership, any linked household members, and devices registered to the account. Then secure the email address on the account, since password resets land there.

Why your account

The password came from a breach of some other company. Bots replay leaked email-and-password pairs across major retailers because a working pair on Amazon converts to goods quickly.

What separates a bulk attempt from a targeted one is the information around the password. A current phone number, an email address, a home address, and the names of family members are enough to pass a verification question or to write a support message that sounds like it came from you.

Data brokers and people-search sites publish that material openly, compiled from public records, purchase data, and app trackers, and sold to anyone who pays. Your address sitting on a people-search profile is what lets an old password become a specific attempt against you.

Delist finds those listings, files the removals, and re-checks them over time, because brokers frequently repost a profile after it comes down. Run a free scan to see which sites currently publish your details.

For the wider pattern, see why you're suddenly getting 2FA codes you didn't request.

Frequently asked questions

Does this mean my Amazon account was hacked?

No. It means someone had your password and the second step blocked them. Change the password now, and change it anywhere else you used the same one.

The text has a link to "verify my account." Should I use it?

No. Real Amazon codes are just codes. A message pushing you to a link is either the phishing that started this or a follow-up designed to capture the password you're about to change. Go to the site directly.

Someone called from "Amazon security" about an order I didn't place. Is that connected?

It's the same attack from another angle. The caller wants the verification code, a remote-access app installed, or a gift card purchased. Amazon does not call customers to resolve fraud this way. Hang up and check your account yourself.

I found an order I didn't place. What now?

Report it through Amazon's help section, cancel it if it hasn't shipped, change your password, and check your gift card balance and payment methods. If a card was charged, tell your bank.

Why do I keep getting Amazon codes after changing my password?

Automated attempts keep running for a while against a list that still has your email on it. Once the password no longer works, they fail. If the codes continue for days, check that the account's email address and phone number are still yours.