Virtually everybody who makes online purchases is aware of Amazon. This powerhouse of an e-commerce marketplace processes a seemingly endless number of consumer transactions every year. Coupled with the fact that more than one million new sellers are joining the marketplace annually, it’s no wonder that shoppers can find virtually anything desired on this platform.

Amazon has retained a considerable level of control over the consumer and seller experiences on the platform, which has minimized the incidence of thefts, scams and other less than pleasurable dealings. Despite the tireless work to improve security and safety on the platform, many scams and opportunities for theft still exist.

Avoiding Amazon-related scams is relatively easy – when you are aware of the circumstances and tactics used. As of 2019, these kinds of issues are still commonplace on the platform: this information can protect countless sellers and customers from being victimized in the process.

Product Image Theft

Every seller can add their custom photos to an existing ASIN product entry on Amazon, or create a brand new ASIN from scratch (for unique products). This flexibility allows for a richer seller and customer experience; for products that are mass produced and sold by multiple sellers, photos added to this ASIN can generally be used by any seller offering the same item.

However, small-time sellers with custom products are increasingly finding their intellectual property being taken by less than scrupulous sellers. These individuals, upon noticing your product idea becoming so successful, will actually recreate a separate ASIN product listing and attempt to pass off both your photos and products as their own. There are numerous benefits for would-be counterfeiters to seize upon your high-quality photos (to learn how images can impact your sales, see this how to guide).

This most commonly happens via overseas sellers with access to manufacturing, 3D printing and other replicating advantages. What was once your big idea – and your own images – may now have fallen into the wrong hands. Unfortunately, the only course of action is to open a case with Seller Support under Product Page Issues.

Fake Amazon Reviews

If something seems too good to be true, it usually is. Yet that doesn’t stop countless people from falling for one of the silliest scams in the book with respect to Amazon. This particular scam usually occurs via email, and involves the user receiving an unsolicited invitation to leave an Amazon review in exchange for a sizeable sum of money (around $100).

While there are some unscrupulous businesses that are willing to pay for Amazon reviews, they are not conducting proverbial cold-calls to achieve that result. Within the body of the email, the scammers will include a link to the page where a review can be left. However, the website in question is an imitation of Amazon rather than the real thing. The user then proceeds to log in, and in the process, hands their account information and personal data to the scammer.

Victims in this case often have their identities stolen – not to mention any short-term financial damage caused by a scammer accessing their Amazon account. The simplest way to avoid this is to never accept an invitation to write a review via email, and rather log in to your account and leave feedback that way.

Counterfeit Goods

Yet another scam of sorts that is hard to defend against, some shady sellers have been known to offer counterfeit Amazon products masquerading as legitimate, brand-name goods. This tactic is nothing new, and has been occurring on the platform since its inception. Fortunately, Amazon is one of the most proactive online retailers when it comes to vetting and ultimately purging counterfeit sellers, but that doesn’t mean somebody can’t be a victim under the right circumstances.

One of the easiest ways to ensure that a purchase is a legitimate item is by verifying the seller’s profile, feedback and reviews. While not inherently an indicator of counterfeit activity, new sellers with little to no history on the platform selling premium goods should raise red flags. Every new seller deserves their chance to shine, but protecting oneself should be top priority. It is generally advised not to purchase from new sellers in these situations, as a well-documented track record of successful sales can make the difference between a satisfied purchase and a counterfeit nightmare.

Anyone who has been the victim of a counterfeit transaction – or even just spots an obvious instance of it listed on the site – can report this by using the “Report a Violation” option via the Amazon website.

Phishing Scams

Last but definitely not least: the phishing scam in general may be an old trick, but it wouldn’t still exist if it weren’t at least somewhat effective. By and large, most scams, thefts and other bad situations can be avoided by simply using the Amazon website and platform as intended, but that won’t stop some people from trying to trick others into giving them all of their vital information.

Most phishing scams (not related to reviews) work in a similar fashion – you’ll suddenly see a message in your inbox from Amazon, with somebody claiming to be a customer service representative. In this email, they will make one or more claims, depending on the scammer in question. Perhaps user information “needs to be updated” or a recent purchase cannot be processed without further information. While these would seem horribly ineffective on an individual level, scammers who utilize this method send thousands or even millions of these emails at a time.

The end result is that the email will ask a user to click on a link and rectify the information. Usually, this information is then transmitted surreptitiously to a third-party entity and vital personal and financial information is now in the hands of criminals. Avoiding this scam is fairly simple – Amazon will never send an email asking for personal information to be transmitted via an email link.

Amazon – at its core – is a fundamentally safe marketplace to use for shopping of any category. As with all platforms, a certain amount of user responsibility is necessary in order to avoid troubling scams, theft and other debilitating actions. These scams are among the most common found on the platform – spreading awareness about these issues will ultimately negate their effectiveness.