Red alert for anyone who owns Amazon: From now on, you are required to follow these four rules.

There's no denying that we're increasingly shopping online, mainly because in many cases it's more convenient and we have greater availability and variety of products. Nowadays, virtually every business has an online presence, and if you can't find the right store, the second option (or even often the first) is to go to the e-commerce giant Amazon.

Amazon ships and delivers millions of products of all kinds every day. Its success lies in the fact that you can find any item you can imagine, with the added benefit of unmatched shipping times, as if you're a Prime member, you'll receive your item in less than 24 hours in most cases.

But its popularity has caught the attention of cybercriminals, who appear to have seen an increase in the number of scams targeting Amazon customers in recent weeks, even going so far as to drain their bank accounts.

According to cybersecurity company NordVPN, more than 120,000 phishing, malware, and scam websites impersonating Amazon have been created in the last two months. This means you should be extra vigilant in the coming weeks if you use this app, as cybercriminals may try to trick you into using websites that look like the real Amazon, but are actually designed to steal your money.

"Scammers know that the excitement and urgency shoppers feel around limited-time offers makes them more likely to click on malicious links or share personal information without proper verification . People should maintain good cyber hygiene even when searching for the best deals," NordVPN notes.

Therefore, experts are offering up to four "golden rules" for shopping on Amazon so we can use the service safely and without putting our personal and banking information at risk.

1. Always buy from the official Amazon website ( www.amazon.com or www.amazon.es ).
2. Make sure URLs display "https://" with a lock icon before entering personal information.
3. Be wary of offers that are too good to be true.
4. Prices significantly below market value are often signs of counterfeiting or fraud.

NordVPN said it detected and blocked 92,000 phishing sites with "Amazon" in the domain name over a two-month period.

"Amazon reminds consumers that the company will never request payments outside of its secure platform," the company explains. " No legitimate communication from Amazon will ever ask for account passwords or one-time codes . We strongly encourage consumers to remain vigilant and report any suspicious communications to Amazon's self-report tool or by contacting Amazon Customer Service directly."