Locked out of your Amazon account after a hack? You might be surprised to learn that the solution could be right on your phone. This is the story of Renee Stevens, who found herself locked out of her Amazon account due to a hacker's activities. The hacker had changed the password, email address, and phone number, leaving Stevens unable to access her account.
What made the situation even more frustrating was the verification process Amazon required. They asked Stevens to verify a phone number she didn't recognize, which was, of course, the hacker's number. This led her on a tedious journey to prove her ownership of the account.
The real twist? The six-digit verification codes Amazon sent were not lost; they were simply marked as spam by her phone. This is a common issue, as phone companies and messaging apps are increasingly screening out scam texts. Many people, like Stevens, don't realize that their text messages have a spam folder.
This discovery allowed Stevens to regain access to her account after a month of frustration. It highlights a crucial tip for anyone facing similar issues: check your phone's spam folder. On iPhones running iOS 26, you can find the spam messages by opening Messages, tapping the Filters button, and then selecting Spam. You can move messages back to the Inbox by tapping Not Spam.
For Android users, Google Messages has a similar feature. Open the app, tap your profile photo, and then select Spam & blocked to review messages. Samsung users can go to the Inbox tab, tap More options, and then check Block numbers and spam.
This incident underscores the importance of being vigilant about potential security threats and understanding the features on your devices. It's a reminder that sometimes, the solution to a problem might be simpler than expected, and it's essential to explore all possibilities to resolve issues like account lockouts.
