“Amazon got hacked. … Hackers added Hub lockers as your default delivery addresses.”
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In this Feb. 9, 2018, file photo, a box for an Amazon prime customer moves through the new Amazon Fulfillment Center in Sacramento, Calif. (AP)
Amazon locker addresses were added to customers’ accounts in error. The company wasn’t hacked.
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- Amazon said the addresses of Hub locker locations were added in error to some customers’ address books. It was not the result of a data breach.
Some social media users are warning others to check their Amazon accounts, worried that hackers have added Amazon Hub locker addresses as default delivery addresses in an effort to divert and steal packages.
A Dec. 9 Instagram post said, "Amazon got hacked. For USA based people, check your Amazon account. Hackers added HUB lockers as your default delivery addresses."
This post was flagged as part of Meta’s efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its News Feed. (Read more about our partnership with Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram.)
We found other social media posts making the same claim. One Dec. 7 Facebook post claimed hackers were redirecting packages to those locations and could "pick up your stuff without you knowing."
Amazon Hub is a network of locations where customers can send packages to lockers for pickup. Some people use the Hub locations to avoid the risk of packages being stolen from porches or other unsecured areas. Some lockers are inside businesses or in apartment complexes. Customers may need a code, a bar code or the Amazon app on their phones to retrieve packages.
When Amazon customers check out online, they normally see an option under the shipping address to choose a nearby pickup location. Recently, for some customers, pickup location addresses had been saved to their Amazon accounts’ address book without their knowledge.
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But this wasn’t the work of hackers. Amazon’s customer service account on X, formerly Twitter, posted Dec. 9 that the addresses were added to customer accounts by mistake.
The account @Amazonhelp, which Amazon refers customers to from its main X account, replied to an X post about the issue, saying Amazon had not been hacked. It did not say how many customers were affected.
"This isn’t a data security matter and our systems are secure," the post read. "Amazon pickup locations were added to a small number of customer accounts in error, and we are working to fix the issue."
A follow-up reply said, "We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused, and customers with questions about their account are welcome to contact customer service."
Amazon didn’t immediately return our request for comment.
We rate the claim that Amazon was hacked and that "hackers added Hub lockers as your default delivery addresses" False.
Our Sources
Instagram post, Dec. 9, 2023 (archived)
Amazon Help, X post, Dec. 9, 2023
Amazon Help, X post, Dec. 9, 2023
Amazon, Amazon Hub, accessed Dec. 11, 2023
Amazon, How to use Amazon Locker, the free and convenient way to pick up packages securely outside of your home, March 1, 2023
Snopes, 'Amazon got hacked': Viral rumor says criminals added fake locker addresses to accounts, Dec. 7, 2023
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Amazon locker addresses were added to customers’ accounts in error. The company wasn’t hacked.
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