Amazon is now leveraging artificial intelligence to tackle the problem of scams, the company revealed on Wednesday. The retail giant noted that around 360,000 customers annually contact its support team, uncertain whether a message they’ve received is genuinely from Amazon or a fraudulent attempt. Going forward, shoppers can instead turn to the company’s consumer AI tool, Alexa for Shopping, to get clarity on this issue. Amazon states that the AI can "definitively" determine whether a communication came from its own systems by cross-referencing it with the billions of messages Amazon has sent worldwide. The AI examines sender details, content, timing, message metadata, and other factors to assess authenticity. The system is expected to grow smarter as more customers flag suspicious messages, enhancing its ability to identify scams over time.

These new AI features build on Amazon’s earlier efforts to address the escalating scam landscape, which includes bogus order confirmations, Prime membership renewal alerts, account suspension warnings, package delivery notices, and employment scams.

Earlier this year, Amazon introduced an email address, verify@amazon.com, which lets anyone forward questionable messages to the company and get a reply confirming whether the email was legitimate or a scam. The company also provides an online form on its customer service page offering the same verification service. This latest addition highlights how Amazon has pivoted its Alexa strategy to emphasize shopping-related assistance and proactive support. Currently, the assistant can find personalized deals, craft shopping guides, streamline reordering of everyday essentials, deliver AI-generated product summaries, transcribe handwritten shopping lists, and offer other helpful functions. On Tuesday, the retailer also rolled out an Alexa feature that enables customers to set alerts for timely updates, such as when a preferred brand unveils a new product, a favorite author releases a fresh book, or an artist drops a new album. Alexa for Shopping can be accessed through both the Amazon website and its mobile app.