Uncovering a massive fraud ring - Over $60,000 in test buys so far - Customer Service Clueless and Making Excuses
We are having a massive influx of sellers jumping on our brand registered listing with thousand of units of product available. We haven't even manufactured the quantity that these sellers have available for resale.
We started making test purchases of these products to find out what these sellers were selling. Turns out, none of the orders are actually being shipped. Tracking is being uploaded and the tracking numbers are authentic but they are for other customer orders. In other words, the packages show delivered but they are being delivered to all different zip codes around the states and the weights and dimensions of the packages are not for the product that was purchased (our product).
Additionally, we are seeing now that the sellers have run out of tracking numbers to use and so they are using the same tracking number on multiple orders. Even better, we found that MULTIPLE sellers are using the same tracking numbers now. This is getting crazy. When I look at the business address of these sellers, they are all located in the same UPS store. All of them have the same address but different unit numbers.
Here are some examples if a mod wants to take a look:
Order ID 112-4604910-7074605 was shipped with tracking number 1Z60E7E60386190109 and the seller is D*******p Goods
Order ID 113-8485524-7473837 was shipped with tracking number 1Z60E7E60386190109 and the seller is E******y Goods
Two different sellers (supposedly) on Amazon are shipping orders with the same exact tracking number? Two different sellers, two different order IDs, and they are using the same tracking information?
Order ID 112-3760266-8994616 was shipped with tracking number 1Z60E7E60386189915 and the seller is D*******p Goods
Order ID 113-2381333-3791445 was shipped with tracking number 1Z60E7E60386189915 and the seller is E******y Goods
Again, how is this possible. Two different sellers on Amazon are shipping orders with the same exact tracking number? Two different seller, two different order IDs, and they are using the same tracking information?
Order ID 112-3664058-4563418 was shipped with tracking number 1Z60E7E60393223686 and the seller is D*******p Goods
Order ID 113-8878542-3889827 was shipped with tracking number 1Z60E7E60393223686 and the seller is E******y Goods
Since all the tracking numbers that they used are showing as delivered (even though they are 100s and 100s of miles away and all over the country), we can't return any packages. We have spent hours and hours with Customer Service and they are just telling us to keep waiting and that this could be a system glitch.
So now we are out around tens of thousands of dollars and the sellers keep on selling.
Here are all the order IDs:
Order ID
112-2893812-2772202
112-2893044-0794627
112-2804109-7704245
112-1621354-9324220
112-6988985-4417023
112-5639594-2874664
112-4419205-5776243
112-1684310-8324222
112-6061193-2482624
112-4157549-0108250
112-4137264-1750617
112-2318486-8557009
112-8946790-1935469
112-5600575-1896237
112-3982587-8337834
112-0305726-7097000
112-8586664-9914628
112-6356997-1212267
112-2491463-4153840
112-0032329-1526615
112-6694374-6621049
112-2749244-5013812
112-2297262-7739447
112-1913525-8738639
112-7407230-2890646
112-5571520-0278621
112-5042821-9208239
112-1904496-5765817
112-4799388-7500228
112-3498325-3837830
112-3353982-1506647
112-1323247-0081032
112-9366690-4107465
112-6230501-9327452
112-4604910-7074605
112-2622740-0787430
112-5632158-9137865
112-3760266-8994616
112-3664058-4563418
112-2262691-4873850
112-9147591-7233865
112-8876686-4124232
112-8012958-7129815
112-4846152-2408201
112-5496635-3040207
112-4746072-7459401
112-3677071-1664217
112-2671779-1421833
113-8485524-7473837
113-6760209-1550663
113-6644141-0205038
113-5029570-4005060
113-2636388-2996257
113-8330760-6681818
113-6026129-8903421
113-5110753-5102667
113-2144297-4825842
113-1319519-6305009
113-9794468-8480218
113-8878542-3889827
113-4052449-3997052
113-1198307-9501861
113-0120602-4777003
113-8680365-4610637
113-7220759-2806623
113-5531096-6450662
113-3963061-6833822
113-1823688-4644226
113-7208455-9409053
113-4990959-5929042
113-2516291-2008265
113-2381333-3791445
113-0488601-2023452
Seller_4zBzdtgCyS9EI
sounds like too much work, nothing will be done unless there is a police report....
Seller_1056OIqQZz0c6
Seller_wnc1pjYEF5ZqF
New scam, this is happening on ebay as well. Fraudulent sellers are listing popular products cheaply, then adding "fake" but valid tracking showing delivered for the buyer's zip code. Not sure how the fraudulent sellers are finding these valid tracking numbers with the correct zip codes and timeframes, but that's the heart of the scam. I hope this gets figured out quickly.
Seller_IZ5lvEic6oGAx
Why would you give these scammers $60,000 when you already know they are scammers??
Seller_g9nI2tQMLHr90
We had something similar recently, but it was a bunch of Chinese sellers that had taken all of our artwork and created counterfeit products. Amazon took them down but then allowed them back. Eventually we got them removed after losing $10,000+ in sales, and more in damages to our brand.
I just don't understand why Amazon allow Chinese sellers on the platform. There is no way you could ever sue them from a Western country, so they're free to commit whatever illegal crimes they want
Seller_8jEUlYHPEsxtD
We had a similar situation starting in mid April with a different twist. Sellers from one country had look alike product and we'd seen it before but they decided to start selling on our top branded listings with a single authorized seller. There were 41 in total. It took weeks to get them removed. Some were obviously connected or the same sellers changing names and addresses in their home country.
When products arrived in US we had six sellers using the same two non existent addresses in rural Texas zip code. There were a couple in NJ and a couple using FBA and a couple in IL. Early on as an order got close to us, the seller would disappear and almost immediately other new ones came on.
We received most of the products but a few went to other states too. It seemed a very organized attack from another China with people involved here in US. We called in each return and did get refunded on all. The products from various sellers arrived at different points in the US but we're all identical to each other. On one level it was a short term "take the money and run" and on the other it was a "junk dump" in the US.
We lost thousands in sales and these sellers sold 300-500 units from our listings. One leadership team member said 1,000,000 listings are impacted currently on Amazon.
Amazon needs to start requesting invoices from sellers. The good old system isn't working anymore. There were many pieces in our situation that need a serious fix at Amazon. They are trying to make their vulnerable system work as it used to and organized crime has it figured out. They come in and take sales and then move on. We realize they could come back.
Some of the sellers are still on Amazon.
Seller_QAgIq5btOI9dk
a mod needs to address this
Seller_NE3UNsc0AIfut
Sorry for getting off track:
How do you tell a buyer of your product is an Amazon seller?
Seller_lCX40xAkSs1xm
This is awful, I am sorry this is happening to you.
Amazon does not care. Get the police and FTC involved.
Seller_FtwQ7QasegEaz
[Moderator Edit: Removed Off Topic Commentary]
