Amazon customers who want to avoid becoming victims of identity theft can now choose to take advantage of the company’s two-step authentication process before making a purchase, according to TechWeek Europe.

The retailer has decided to bolster its ability to offer safe shopping online by letting customers automatically receive a text in the event that a purchase is made using their account. It includes a code contained within that needs to be entered before payment can be authorised.

The idea is that if their account is compromised and a third party attempts to use it to place an order, they will not be able to go through with the sale without also having access to the legitimate customer’s mobile handset.

Those who regularly use Amazon to buy products via safe shopping online can boost their security with this new dual authentication process by activating it in their Amazon Account. It can be found under the Advanced Security settings menu and by visiting the site, users can also get a detailed description of how this new feature operates.

Receiving the code by text to authenticate a purchase is just one of the options, as customers can also choose to have it sent via a voice message, if this is preferable. There is also a dedicated app created by Amazon to act as part of the authentication process, meaning that the code can be sent via a network connection to customers who may live in areas where mobile signal is patchy.

For the moment, the actual availability of this service has been kept quiet by Amazon, although the retailer may make a public statement about its launch in the next few days, or perhaps following an initial period of testing. Meanwhile, two-step authentication is already present on a number of other online services, so it is good to see Amazon joining the party.