Amazon’s Counterfeit Crimes Unit at work
Hello Seller's,
I speak to lots of you daily/weekly etc. regarding counterfeit products and even though you, individually may still be facing an uphill battle on this topic. the Counterfeit Crimes Unit (CCU) is always hard at work and most often behind the scenes to taking down bad actors.
I invite you to take a look at the CCU's most recent success. If interested, please click on the story below for more:
As always, please provide any comments to the story in the thread. In addition, if you want to continue to see content like this please thumbs up, but if you do not want to see content like this, please thumbs down.
Best, Dougal
Amazon’s Counterfeit Crimes Unit at work
Hello Seller's,
I speak to lots of you daily/weekly etc. regarding counterfeit products and even though you, individually may still be facing an uphill battle on this topic. the Counterfeit Crimes Unit (CCU) is always hard at work and most often behind the scenes to taking down bad actors.
I invite you to take a look at the CCU's most recent success. If interested, please click on the story below for more:
As always, please provide any comments to the story in the thread. In addition, if you want to continue to see content like this please thumbs up, but if you do not want to see content like this, please thumbs down.
Best, Dougal
89 replies
Seller_rI7BZIczK8iAC
"The number of bad actor attempts to create new selling accounts decreased from 6 million attempts in 2020, to 700,000 in 2023, stopping them before they were able to attempt to list a single product for sale in our store."
That's great. Nevertheless, as a small brand we always fear hijackers on our listings, which of course do NOT sell our original product but another brand. And when it happens, it's very difficult or impossible to make Amazon remove them.
Small brands would really like to have the same possibility like "Generic" listings: that the listing is blocked for any other seller.
Seller_iobipI6xASRkh
Being able to report abuse in the first place would help. I don't have the report seller abuse feature 'product is materially different' so someone has been running a business on eBay selling stolen Amazon goods and I can't report it because every 'my issue is not listed here' submission is immediately rejected for not having a reason. I have a mile-long paper trail on this guy, and can't do a thing about it.
Seller_4HsL3GZbyDLea
I suspect that Amazon will end up helping huge companies a lot and small brands like me not much at all.
And like others have mentioned.. Why do small brands CONSTANTLY have our brand fields on our listings changed by hijackers? How is this even possible? Amazon seems to have no desire to stop this.
Can I change a Dewalt or GE brand to my brand? Nope. Can some random hijacker from a large Asian country change my brand field? All day long for some crazy reason.
Seller_oDXVaydIpi3Hi
Interesting to see the names involved in these cases. [Moderator Edit: removed personal information]. Common theme. Good to see these few cases, but honestly so much more needs to be done. Then I hate saying that because every time Amazon does something they tend to screw it up and take out a ton of innocent people, too.
Seller_qMgi7qxvEo7f1
Hijackers are changing brand names on listings, then they report the "owner" of the listing page falsely for using their brand.
My question would be, if I can't change things on my own listings, how can others do that with bad intents? How can they change the brand and report someone immediately, and how Amazon's safety guards won't stop them for it? Is there an Amazon safety guard for that? If not, should be!
If the Hijackers did that, how come Amazon is NOT able to help and why the listing owner has to spend literally DAYS to solve the problem, and how is only 50% of the time work, and 50% of the time Amazon says "forget it and relist it"? How Amazon thinks that is ok to hijack listing pages like this and how they don't know that the relisting is literally starting all over, sometimes a 10-12 years old well running product-listing?
It happened to me so many times... How about if someone lists a product, then only he/she can change that page? That would solve the issue. About half of my listings have strange brand names on them at this point, and my listing pages go to weird websites. How is that ok? Listing pages are used by hijackers to advertise outside-websites.
This is not only risky for the seller, but even risky for the buyers who just surfing on Amazon, looking at product pages... :-/
Seller_nBUcRErQhJ4JW
@Dougal_Amazon first they are not bad actors call them what they are criminals. Defrauding consumers is a crime, its not a bad actor.
There has been ongoing fraud in the jewelry space for over a year. According to Amazons team when you report the violiation its not a violation even though it violates Amazons own policies.
Sellers calling items 14K gold, putting on the detail pages "metal stamp 14K" and shipping gold plated brass to consumers. That is fraud, plain and simple, intent to deceive and a victim. Amazon has known about this practice for quite some time, yet allows it.
The bad actors are the ones calling moissanite "labe created diamonds" according to the FTC this is unfair / deceptive, yet, Amazon still allows it.
Lets have some definitions.
Bad actor: someone that breaks amazon policies but doesnt break the law. Example, puts a coupon in a box that says buy on our website an save, or even clicks on someones sponsored products to push them out.
Criminal: one who commits a crime like defrauding a consumer. Listing 14K gold, and shipping gold plated brass- criminal.
Dougal_Amazon
Hello @Seller_nBUcRErQhJ4JW,
I certainly appreciate your passion and I understand the sentiment that you are trying to convey here.
As for the naming convention of bad actors, please take some time to review the Seller Forums Guidelines.
Seller_nBUcRErQhJ4JW
@Dougal_Amazon I certainly did not mean to violate any policies.
With all due respect please elaborate? Did I say something that is not true? or what policy did I violate?
Dougal_Amazon
Hi @Seller_nBUcRErQhJ4JW,
Please review the Seller Forums Guidelines.
The 2nd bullet below the "To make the most of the Seller Forums community, we recommend the following tips for engagement:" is a good place to start.
Seller_nBUcRErQhJ4JW
Are you speaking of this one ?
"Commentary that could be considered disrespectful, including: insults, personal attacks, spiteful remarks, obscenities, profanity, harassment, bullying, defamatory or inflammatory statements."
My statement was in no way meant to be any of those and in my humble opinion was not.
I do have a question, would making a detail page that says 14K gold and claiming "metal stamp 14K" then shipping gold plated brass that is not stamped be fraud ? There is an intent to deceive and a victim.
Dougal_Amazon
Hi @Seller_nBUcRErQhJ4JW,
I am not going to argue the semantics of the word criminal and where or how your statement can be interpreted as an insulting, defamatory or inflammatory statement.
You statement lists facts true, but you are inferring intent which is a key factor in determining if something is "criminal" or a "mistake."
Without specific information and investigation toward what you are referring to, I will continue to refrain from referring to anyone or their acts as "Criminal," and suggest that if you do have such proof, you provide (or continue to provide) that "evidence," to the appropriate investigatory teams at Amazon who will review and take the appropriate action.
Seller_nBUcRErQhJ4JW
I have test orders and messaging from the sellers that what is being shipped is not gold but gold plated. None by the way are stamped 14K like the detail page says or trademarked.
I have reported to the appropriate teams. The first reply is we can not take action because there is no violation. Perhaps you can help with which category to report this as so it gets to the appropriate team?
In the reports I list the item. The violation and the specific Amazon policy, and the test order id.
I Have escalated to SAS premium support. They seem to be able to get the items removed but they do not remove the seller and the sellers just put up the removed item as a new item and continue.
I can show you specific examples and forward the messages to you if you would like.
Mistake? On all of the items several sellers offer? After its pointed out to them and they acknowledge the items are not really 14K gold but gold plated and they dont fix the "mistake" ?
Seller_nBUcRErQhJ4JW
The sellers aknowledge in buyer seller messaging that their items are not gold but gold plated brass, yet continue listing the items as 14K gold.
Lets suppose it is a "mistake" , shouldnt they correct it?
What of the consumers that purchased jewelry thinking it's 14K gold and recieved gold plated base metal? Shouldnt they be notified and made whole?
Happy to send you order ID's, Case numbers and examples.
Dougal_Amazon
Hello @Seller_nBUcRErQhJ4JW,
I am Happy to review the case ID's and escalate accordingly. You also mentioned that you have escalated to SAS premium support, Do you have a Customer Success Manager/Account manager in SAS?
If so, I can also work directly with them on where and how to escalate these IF they have not already!
If you do have a rep in SAS, no need to provide their info here.... I should be able to track them down, especially if you share the SAS premium support case ID with me.
Looking forward to assisting further and where I am able.
Best, Dougal
Seller_WBnGS7Ix3XiDX
What about the Bots? They take people down for stupid things, and it causes trouble. I, myself have been victim to them.
They need to fix Seller Support as well. Inside & Outside issues need to be fixed.
Seller_ov7tPznFfbE6R
@Dougal_Amazon
Dougal, I contend with folks selling under my brand, every day. I call them piggy-backers. They don't modify my listing. They simply pile on, and sell their own "similar" product, under my brand, at a much lower price (which Amazon loves).
I have no sales force. I have no resellers. It's just me. So, when someone is piggy-backed on my branded listing....according to your own rules, it's illegal. I shouldn't have to report it...but I do, and mod Dominic "tries to help" for months to no avail.
Why isn't it this simple:
Have me sign a document stating I have no resellers, or other selling reps. And then, every piggy backer I report, should get instantly booted. What am I missing? Why isn't it that simple? And, if I am lying, and some "reseller" of my brand can prove to be legit....then I give full permission to shut me down. What am I missing with that solution?
Seller_IUgYw6EAxhLMp
We have suffered a malicious attack from non-verified purchase (NON-VP) bad reviews! We need your help to save our product and listings.
Today, we received 13 non-verified purchase malicious reviews in one day. We have provided enough evidence to Amazon, but they still haven't helped us resolve the issue. These reviews are from new accounts that write malicious comments and give our product 1-star ratings to lower our rating. This has negatively influenced our product and the Amazon platform. We hope Amazon can investigate this and help honest sellers.
I feel very worried and upset. Please help me!
CASE 15607473211
Seller support has refused to help me. They said customers can give reviews even if they have not purchased the product. How ridiculous! Okay, they can post reviews, but why give me 13 bad reviews on the same day?
I hope Amazon can help me resolve this! I think many sellers have suffering this malicious attack!!
@Dougal_Amazon
Dougal_Amazon
Hello @Seller_OvL8C4BJWiuS9,
Thanks for the question and please know that I will be escalating your question to the relevant team. However, I will not provide a public response for several reasons, but most importantly:
- Any enforcement is between that seller and Amazon and will not be publicly disclosed
- Bad actors are also on the forums and the specific process for investigation will not be shared on a public forum
I do understand why you are asking the question and that sentiment will be provided to the relevant team along with the anecdote.
Best, Dougal
Seller_RD6xw3MXvXOke
What do they do?
Its been 5 days since you asked, multiple requests by others who found the post at best insulting to us all , just the brazen alone of posting that on a forum that is full of complaints stating the opposite , pinning it to the top and then
back to work again on the next social media post
