Amazon prevented over 700,000 bad actors from setting up vendor accounts in 2023 and seized over 7 million counterfeit goods before they were sold worldwide.

The number of bad actors trying to create seller accounts last year dropped from 800,000 in 2022. In 2021, 2.5 million bad actors tried to create seller accounts while there were six million attempts in 2020.

In its annual brand protection report, the online retailer said that it had invested $1.2 billion in its attempts to protect customers and brands from counterfeit goods, fraud and other forms of abused.

Amazon added that it has employed more than 15,000 people – including machine learning scientists, software developers, and investigators – to address the issue of fraud.

The company has also continued to collaborate with law enforcement agencies in China, which has led to over 50 successful raid actions with 100 bad actors identified and detained for questioning. These included manufacturers, suppliers and distributers.

Amazon said this collaboration resulted in criminal convictions, fines and prison sentences.

“We are proud of the progress we have made in preventing counterfeits within our store,” said Dharmesh Mehta, Amazon’s vice president of worldwide selling partner services. “This has required significant innovation, and it would not be possible without the partnerships we have been able to build with brands, associations, policymakers, law enforcement, and others.

“While we believe we have made a great deal of progress, we remain committed to continued innovation and will not rest until we drive counterfeits to zero.”

In August last year, consumer champion Which? raised concerns that Amazon, AliExpress, eBay and Whish had been selling dangerous carbon monoxide alarms. In an investigation Which? purchased alarms and found they would fail to alert households to the presence of carbon monoxide.

---