Consumer Reports warns shoppers about fake product recall texts
Consumer Reports says scammers are sending phony recall notices by text, and shoppers should verify any alert through a retailer’s app or official recall sites.
Consumer Reports is warning shoppers about a scam in which fake product recall notices are sent by text to trick people into clicking links and giving up personal information.
Recall notices are meant to alert consumers to product safety risks, often involving items such as kitchen appliances, baby products and child car seats. A false notice can cause confusion and give scammers a way to collect names, account details or other sensitive data.
Consumer Reports cited an example involving Taylor Frost Smith, a mother of three, who received a text that claimed to be an Amazon Product Recall Notice for an item she bought in December. Smith said she shops frequently on Amazon and registers products so she can learn about recalls. She said the message raised suspicion because it referred to only 18 people from Amazon.
Instead of using the link in the text, Smith checked directly in the Amazon app, entered the order number and asked Amazon’s AI tool, Rufus, whether there was a recall. Amazon told her there was no recall and that the text was a phishing scam, according to the report.
Consumer Reports said people should not respond to such messages or click on any links. It advised consumers to go directly to the retailer’s app or website to check whether a recall is real. The group also pointed readers to recalls.gov and CPSC.gov, the Consumer Product Safety Commission’s website. It said consumers who registered a product should normally receive recall notices by email or mail.
The warning comes as scam text messages continue to rise. The article cites the 2025 Cyber Readiness Report, published in October, which said text-message scam attempts increased 50% in the past year. It also said 30% of people who encountered a digital scam said it began with a text or messaging app, with the increase most notable among people ages 18 to 29.
Jason Dorsey of the Center for Generational Kinetics said Gen Z is falling victim to record levels of text scams because texting is their main communication channel, group chats can include unknown contacts and phones make money easier to access. The article also noted that the IRS is warning taxpayers about fraud during tax season and said scammers often send emails, direct messages and texts that appear to come from the agency and may include scary language, QR codes or links.
Consumers are being told to verify any recall notice through the store or manufacturer directly rather than through the message itself.
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Editorial note: This article was prepared with AI assistance and includes source attribution for reader review.
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