Amazon Snubs Brand Owners, Counterfeits Remain

Is Amazon America's biggest consumer fraud?

September 17, 2019, Los Angeles, CA – Amazon built a global empire, in part, by flooding the consumer marketplace with an inexhaustible supply of counterfeit, fraudulent, and replica merchandise, OTC drugs, and books. The global giant is both a direct retailer of counterfeit goods, e.g., "ships from and sold by Amazon.com" while also enabling and facilitating global criminals, counterfeiters, and scammers to manipulate its hyper-competitive environment with scams, fakes, and fraud.

Amazon commands about 50% of online sales, yet turns a blind eye to counterfeits and escapes liability for the deceptive actions of its third-party Marketplace sellers claiming they are "just a venue."

Legitimate brand-owners can't compete, and consumers don't have a chance of identifying dangerous, deadly, and often visually indistinguishable counterfeit and replica goods. Amazon's commitment to fighting counterfeits is an exercise in lip service and illusory policy.

More consumers are responding; 'I don't shop Amazon anymore, why should I care?' The truth is that consumers don't have to buy from Amazon to be exposed to dangerous and potentially deadly products. There is a real danger in Amazon's deceptive marketplace and its inaction on counterfeit complaints.

The Counterfeit Report, an award-winning consumer advocate and counterfeit watchdog, found over 150,000 fake, fraudulent, and replica items on Amazon. It's particularly alarming that some may cause serious injury or death, even if you are not the purchaser. Whether you fly, drive, walk, or receive a gift, the counterfeits shown are examples of products that may injure or kill you.

1. Amazon sellers offer counterfeit prescription pill dies to make fake Oxycodone, Alprazolam, Xanax®, Viagra®, and other prescription drugs, along with tablet binding powder and filler. The Counterfeit Report purchased counterfeit Oxycodone and XANAX pill dies and reported the sellers. The sellers remain and relisted the Oxycodone months later. The obvious question; for what possible legitimate reason are counterfeit prescription pill dies offered for sale on Amazon?



2. Composite Resources Combat Application Tourniquet® (C-A-T®) has been supplied to the U.S. Military, police, first responders, and the public worldwide for the past decade. The authentic life-saving device is approved by the U.S. FDA. Counterfeit and replica versions of the patented C-A-T tourniquet have catastrophically failed during actual life-saving applications but are common on Amazon. The Counterfeit Report found of 11,587 counterfeit, fake and replica products on Amazon and removed over 7,800. The replicas continue to be listed.



3. Fraudulent 18650 Lithium-ion ("Li-ion") batteries on Amazon and proving to be a very real hazard -- a dangerous and deadly risk for consumers. Thousands of reported fire and explosion incidents resulting in emergency-room visits in the U.S., including acute injuries that required hospitalization, and victims that suffered the loss of a body part. The FAA reported 265 air/airport incidents (fires and smoke) involving a lithium battery carried as cargo or baggage were recorded and 3 major aircraft accidents reported where lithium battery cargo shipments were implicated. The batteries are prohibited on Amazon, and there is no legitimate 18650 battery with a capacity over 3800mAh, yet an online search of Amazon will reveal thousands of fraudulent 18650 Li-ion batteries. Amazon received legal notice to stop selling the batteries in March, but the batteries remain including Amazon as a direct seller.



4. Are you or your kids talking to the real police, how would you know? These counterfeit current FBI, NYPD, Secret Service, and other law enforcement badges and ID shown were repeatedly purchased on Amazon and are available to terrorists, child predators, and other criminals. Repeated notifications to Amazon executive staff are ignored. The fakes remain.



5. Authentic Drew Technologies Mongoose® Pro vehicle diagnostic interconnect cables and accompanying software is used by experienced auto dealer technicians, service centers, and independent mechanics. The cables have the processor and all of the electronics integrated inside to re-program critical vehicle functions including braking, airbags, steering, safety features, emissions, and performance. Counterfeits may contain malware, damage or destroy expensive vehicle computers and components, and alter safety features on your vehicle, or the vehicle next to you. Counterfeits are repeatedly purchased on Amazon, but Amazon has ignored 776 complaints to remove 22 active listings. The fakes remain.

Images: ©The Counterfeit Report;

Amazon has exhausted its illusory public policy response: "Products offered for sale on Amazon must be authentic. The sale of counterfeit products is strictly prohibited" -- it's patently false. Amazon's deceptive practices illuminate an entirely different business operation riddled with allegations of search manipulation, data leaks, and employee bribes. Crowning their behavior -- Amazon paid no federal income taxes on $11.2 billion in profit in 2018 and $5.6 billion in 2017.

It's hard to reconcile Amazon's counterfeit policy with their actions (or lack thereof). The Counterfeit Report's research revealed Amazon ignores or doesn't act on a number of counterfeit complaints. In reviewing 1,393 complaints to remove just 173 counterfeit listings, The Counterfeit Report found that counterfeit products removed from one Amazon website may be allowed to remain on any of Amazon’s 13 other websites. Two Amazon Global Brand Relations Managers, Jason Noggle and Kaleigh Miller, assigned to support The Counterfeit Report haven't responded to complaints for over nine months, yet Amazon's dysfunctional automated systems generated over 14,000 meaningless or unrelated email responses.

Amazon's Corporate Counsel, Annasara Purcell, confirmed the deceptive practice in her response to The Counterfeit Report, writing; "We remove suspected counterfeit items as soon as we become aware of them, and we remove bad actors from selling on Amazon," but only some, adds Ms. Purcell; "trademark rights are jurisdiction specific and the fact that a brand has rights in one country is not indicative of comparable rights worldwide." The comments were echoed and endorsed by Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos.

To memorialize the shady practice, The Counterfeit Report purchased the counterfeit Mongoose® cables (shown above) from three different Amazon sellers, registered in Pennsylvania or Texas, and selling on Amazon's U.K. website. -- Amazon says that's OK. The Counterfeit Report also made counterfeit purchases from other worldwide Amazon websites from sellers registered in China and delivering to the U.S. -- Amazon says that's also OK. The listings remain and the counterfeit sales continue. Amazon takes a transaction fee for each item sold.

Consumers relying on Amazons search results, ratings, or endorsements including "Prime," "Fulfilled by Amazon" and "Amazons Choice" would be shocked to learn they include counterfeit, fraudulent, and replica products.

Congress can enact legislation that holds e-commerce websites accountable for their deceptive and dishonest practices. Will they?

Until then, consumers only choice is to avoid businesses that enable, facilitate, or participate in global criminal enterprises. "Buyer beware"