Nearly three quarters of a million bad actors who attempted to create new selling accounts on Amazon last year were stopped from doing so, according to the company, which released its fourth annual Brand Protection Report today. That’s down from 6 million attempts by bad actors to create new Amazon selling accounts in 2020, according to the report.
As many sellers now know, they must go through a video interview process when creating a new account, as Amazon mentioned in the report in a section called Seller Verification, which also touted its technology:
“Amazon uses advanced technology and expert human reviewers to verify the identities of potential sellers. Prospective sellers are required to provide a variety of information, such as government issued photo IDs, taxpayer details, and banking information. We employ advanced identity detection methods like document forgery detection, advanced image and video verification, and other technologies to quickly confirm the authenticity of government-issued identity documents and whether they match the individual applying to sell in our store. In addition to verifying these, Amazon’s systems analyze numerous data points, including behavior signals and connections to previously detected bad actors, to detect and prevent risks.
“Amazon’s systems continuously scan both new and existing seller accounts, reviewing changes in registration details, sellers’ behavior, and analyzing various risk signals. In the event Amazon identifies risky changes, we promptly initiate an investigation using both automated and human review, request additional seller information if necessary, and take appropriate action.”
Amazon detailed the following four key areas where it said it made progress in its efforts to protect customers, brands, and selling partners worldwide from counterfeit products:
- Increasingly Deterring Bad Actors from Creating Selling Accounts: In 2023, Amazon stopped more than 700,000 bad actor attempts to create new selling accounts, stopping them before they were able to list a single product for sale in its store.
- Expanded Adoption of Brand Protection Tools: In 2023, Amazon’s team used a variety of advanced machine learning models, including large language models, to systematically detect many different types of infringement, including complex visual intellectual property. Since 2020, while the number of products available for sale in Amazon’s store has grown significantly, we have seen a more than 30% decrease in the total valid notices of infringement submitted by brands.
- Holding Counterfeiters Accountable, Leading to Cross-Industry Protection: In 2023, Amazon identified, seized, and appropriately disposed of more than 7 million counterfeit products worldwide in partnership with brands including The Prada Group, Cisco, and Canon, preventing them from harming customers or being resold elsewhere in the retail supply chain.
- Consumer Protection & Education: In partnership with the International Trademark Association and DECA, Amazon launched the Unreal Campaign Challenge, a young consumer awareness campaign that reached more than 177,000 global DECA members.
Head of Amazon Worldwide Selling Partner Services Dharmesh Mehta wrote about the report in a blog post on Tuesday, revealing that Amazon invested over $1.2 billion last year and employed over 15,000 people dedicated to “protecting customers, brands, selling partners, and our store from counterfeit, fraud, and other forms of abuse,” including machine learning scientists, software developers, and expert investigators,
Mehta shared some additional statistics showing how Amazon is working with law enforcement to hold scammers accountable:
“Since its launch in 2020, Amazon’s Counterfeit Crimes Unit has pursued more than 21,000 bad actors through litigation and criminal referrals to law enforcement. In 2023, we identified, seized, and appropriately disposed of more than 7 million counterfeit products worldwide, preventing them from harming customers or being resold elsewhere in the retail supply chain. In addition to the disposal of counterfeit products, in 2023, Amazon strengthened its cross-border anti-counterfeiting collaboration with brands and Chinese law enforcement, which led to more than 50 successful raid actions with more than 100 bad actors identified and detained for questioning, many of whom are manufacturers, suppliers, or upstream distributors of counterfeit products. This collaboration resulted in numerous criminal convictions, including fines and prison sentences.”
Mehta linked to the Brand Protection Report, available on the Amazon website, in his post.
