Scammers often hide behind a trusted name, and Amazon is the latest target.
Some customers have reported getting a delivery they paid for but when they open the box, there’s nothing inside.
It’s an attempt to circumvent Amazon’s guarantee policy and it’s working.
A lot of buyers may not even realize how many third party vendors are selling on Amazon. When buying is as simple as a click of the button, it’s easy to miss.
Here’s how it works:
The third party sellers get you to buy a product and then ship you an empty box to make it look like they fulfilled the order.
Then, Amazon is stuck refunding your money after the third party has already cashed in on your purchase.
You’re left without the product you wanted and Amazon is out big bucks.
Here are some tips to protect yourself:
Always look for the third party seller right next to the words “sold by.”
If the product has no rating, you can search for other products by the same seller. If there are none, or it’s newly launched, be cautious.
Amazon responded to complaints saying:
“Amazon has zero tolerance for fraud. We withhold payment to sellers until we are confident that our customers have received the products and services they ordered. In the event that sellers do not comply with the terms and conditions they’ve agreed to, we work quickly to take action on behalf of customers.”
