The Federal Trade Commission has slapped Amazon with a hefty $2.25 million fine after alleging the e-commerce giant failed to assist victims of identity theft.
According to the FTC's complaint, Amazon's customer support system led users on an endless loop, demanding they identify the thief before any information could be released about fraudulent purchases—akin to playing a digital version of Who’s On First.
In one particularly frustrating case, a victim attempted to guess the identity of the fraudster over 30 times without success. Amazon allegedly refused to delete the victim's credit card from the thief’s account until they could provide that crucial detail.
The FCRA requires companies to respond within 30 days to such requests, but Amazon apparently missed this mark. The company has since said it resolved the issue and improved its processes for identity theft victims.
