WASHINGTON — Amazon is urging shoppers to stay vigilant as the holiday shopping season begins, warning its 300 million active users in an email about a rise in impersonation scams targeting customers ahead of Black Friday and Cyber Monday.

The company emailed customers on Nov. 24 with a notice outlining several types of fraud that tend to surge during the busy retail period, when cybercriminal activity historically spikes.

According to the alert, originally reported on by Forbes , scammers are increasingly posing as Amazon representatives to obtain personal or financial information.

The company said common impersonation attempts include fake delivery-issue or account-problem notifications, misleading social media ads offering steep discounts, and unsolicited messages sent through unof

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