Counterfeits, Fraud, and Scams Scar Amazon Prime Days

Is Amazon America's Biggest Consumer Rip-off?

July 16, 2019, Los Angeles, CA – Amazon's touted Prime Day Deals didn't offer any relief to a growing consumer challenge -- dodging the fakes, fraud, and scams that plague the e-commerce giant.

Many of Amazon's Prime Day "deals" came from third-party sellers. Products marked “Prime” and from Amazon’s own warehouse may simply be “Fulfilled by Amazon,” but not inspected or verified to be authentic. Sellers just send their counterfeit and fraudulent products to Amazon’s fulfillment warehouse to lend credibility while obscuring the source (often China) and implying endorsement by Amazon. Consumers are easily deceived.

Consumers would be shocked to learn that some Prime Day sellers aren't new to Amazon, but repeatedly reported, and the products are the subject of legal notice Amazon received in March requiring Amazon to stop selling dangerous and potentially deadly 18650 Lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries, notify the deceived consumers, and make the required legal restitution. Amazon acknowledged receipt but continued to market the products as a direct seller, and through third-party sellers even though 18650 batteries are specifically prohibited on Amazon.

And that's exactly what happened during Amazon's Prime Days. Award-winning consumer advocate, The Counterfeit Report, found dozens of counterfeit and fraudulent items and purchased several during Amazon's Prime Days.

For example; the Amazon listing below offers a CREE® branded flashlight and 4000mAh Li-ion battery. CREE® does not make flashlights -- it's a fake, and there are no legitimate Li-ion 18650 batteries above 3800mAh (the subject of the legal notice). Amazon was warned of the fraudulent and potentially deadly activities of seller "Windfire," who remains a seller, yet Amazon did nothing.

Amazon is a free-flowing conduit that enables Amazon, and facilitates third-party global sellers, to flood the consumer market with an inexhaustible supply counterfeit, fraudulent, pirated, and replica items. Simply, consumers are deceived into spending good money for bad products while Amazon takes its transaction fee for each item sold.

America has matured its complexion blemished with corporate fraud, corruption, and scams; Enron, Tyco, Madoff, Lehman Bros., Cendant, HealthSouth, WorldCom, Theranos, and more. Will Amazon be added to the growing list?

Amazon offers its all too often dismissal: "We have zero tolerance for abuse of our systems and if we find bad actors who have engaged in this behavior, we will take swift action against them, including terminating their selling accounts, deleting reviews, withholding funds, and taking legal action."

When?