Amazon fraud victims are still being fobbed off and, in some cases, even told to pay up for orders that they never made.
Almost a year ago, Money Mail exposed how the world's largest online retailer was routinely failing shoppers who had been charged thousands of pounds for items they did not buy.
Readers told how they were forced to fight for months to get a refund after being passed back and forth between Amazon and their own bank.
Stung: Amelia Evans reported the fraud to Amazon, but the retailer failed to stop the criminals from making a further £686 worth of purchases
'I LOST £2,000 AND I'M STILL OUT OF POCKET'
Amelia Evans, 30, returned from a family summer holiday in Lake Garda, Italy, to find that crooks had spent £1,241 of her money on Amazon in just a few days.
She reported the fraud to Amazon, but the retailer failed to stop the criminals from making a further £686 worth of purchases — leaving her almost £2,000 out of pocket.
It emerged the fraudsters had hacked into her account and changed Amelia's delivery address from where she lives in Kettering, Northamptonshire, to one in London. They initially purchased low-value items such as £20 memory cards, then bought expensive gadgets including a £799 iPhone. They had also signed her up to the retailer's premium service Amazon Prime, at £7.99 a month.
Amelia says she never received any emails notifying her of the orders, which could mean the criminals accessed her inbox to delete messages or divert them to junk mail. When the mother-of-two reported the fraud to Amazon, it urged her to contact her bank. But Santander told her it was a matter for Amazon.
The online retailer then promised to repay the money, but Amelia received only a £7.99 refund for the Amazon Prime subscription.
After days of email exchanges, Amazon said it was not going to help, leaving her £1,927 in debt.
Amelia, a procurement assistant, says: 'I feel defeated. The money taken was more than a month's wages — which is a lot when you have two children and a mortgage.
'I used to find Amazon really useful, but this has tainted it. I want to know my account is being kept safe and that Amazon will help if someone steals from me.'
Today, we can reveal that the online retail giant is still giving fraud victims the runaround — with complaints continuing to pour into our postbag.
In some cases, Amazon, which made UK sales of nearly £11 billion last year, is now even trying to claw back refunds victims have been given by their bank.
If a fraudster hacks in to your Amazon account, your bank is responsible for refunding you any money spent using your debit card details under so-called chargeback rules.
However, if Amazon investigates and thinks you did in fact receive the items ordered, it will try to stop the refund.
Darren Brown, 53, lost £377 after fraudsters used his Amazon account to order two £180 gift cards and £17 worth of dog toys. The criminals had also hacked into his email account to ensure he wouldn't see any messages notifying him of the recent purchases.
When the civil servant, who lives in Northern Ireland, discovered the fraud, after logging in and spotting the orders, he deleted his payment details, changed his passwords and contacted Amazon.
The retailer told him to ask his bank to reverse the payment using chargeback rules. Nationwide agreed and refunded the money within two weeks.
But, a month later, Darren received an email from Amazon demanding the money back.
The retailer did not explain why, but said his account would be blocked until he made the payment.
When Money Mail stepped in, Amazon apologised and offered Darren a £40 goodwill gesture. But, almost a month later, Amazon again chased him for the money already repaid. Darren says: 'This has made me feel very vulnerable. I thought this matter had been sorted out, which was a weight off my shoulders, but now Amazon is chasing me again and it's knocked me for six.'
Fleeced: Mark Chatfield (pictured with his wife, Sam) is unable to get a refund from his bank — because Amazon will not tell him what was ordered
'AMAZON THINKS IT'S ABOVE THE LAW - IT DOESN'T WORRY ABOUT THE HACKERS'
Mark Chatfield is unable to get a refund from his bank — because Amazon will not tell him what was ordered.
Fraudsters bought £318 worth of goods using the business development manager's account and then changed the password so that he can longer access it.
He received a confirmation email from Amazon in August for an iPhone case which later showed up at his home. But Mark does not own an iPhone.
Mark (pictured with his wife, Sam) logged in to his Amazon account to change his password. But a few days later, after noticing another payment to Amazon, he tried to log in to his account but realised the criminals had managed to hack in again and had locked him out.
He spoke to the retailer, which told him his address had also been changed while his name and card details remained the same.
Mark, 53, of Brantham, near Colchester, Essex, was told by Amazon to claim the money back via his bank, but he says NatWest told him it could not charge back the payment without knowing what was ordered.
When he called Amazon to find out what the crooks had bought, the retailer said it couldn't help.
Mark says: 'I've been backwards and forwards on this. Amazon keeps telling me I have to claim back from my bank and my bank says I should get it back from Amazon because it was its system that was compromised, which I agree with.
'Amazon seems to think it is above the law and doesn't have to worry about these things or people hacking its system.'
Mark also tried to report the matter to Trading Standards, but it could not help either.
Even after Money Mail's intervention, Amazon tried to send Mark back to the bank. It eventually refunded two of the three payments and, after further pressure, agreed to reimburse the third.
Amazon fraud complaints are soaring, according to the online dispute service Resolver. The website received 554 complaints in the 12 months to April 2018, up from 163 in the previous financial year. Since April this year, the firm has already logged 436 cases.
Danielle Lewis-James, a litigation lawyer from Slater and Gordon, says: 'Amazon should accept some responsibility, but it is instead taking a very arrogant approach. You should be able to say: 'These issues happened on your platform, so you should refund me,' however there is no regulator to force it to care about its customers.'
Andrew MacTaggart, 32, from Renfrewshire, was also pursued after fraudsters used his Amazon account to buy a £150 gift card and £52 of stationery. Fraudsters typically make smaller-value orders first to see if they go through. Andrew realised that something was amiss after receiving a confirmation email for goods he hadn't ordered. When he reported the fraud, Amazon cancelled the gift card and refunded the £150.
But, as the £52 stationery order had already been prepared for dispatch, the firm said it couldn't be cancelled. When the parcel arrived, Andrew offered to send it back, but Amazon told him to keep it and ask his bank to chargeback the money to his account.
Less than two weeks after receiving a refund, a letter arrived from the Bank of Scotland saying that Amazon had disputed the £52 because it believed that the transaction was legitimate. Andrew, a support worker, says: 'I called Amazon, but was stonewalled and given empty promises that I would get an email to clarify everything.
HOW FRAUDSTERS TRICK US...
Amazon is a target for fraudsters, as your card details are frequently stored in your online account. Criminals can gain access to your Amazon account simply by using your email and password.
They often trick people into handing over personal information by posing as Amazon over email and including links to copycat websites, where customers are asked to update their details.
Alternatively, fraudsters may purport to be from your phone or internet provider. In reality, it is a ploy to steal personal data such as payment details and passwords.
Amazon has repeatedly warned its customers to watch out for fake emails designed to steal account information.
Fraudsters may also get hold of your details if they are leaked in data breaches. You are especially at risk if you use the same passwords for multiple accounts.
As your credit or debit card is linked to your Amazon account, conmen need only click on items to buy them once they are in your account. Only sometimes are you asked to confirm your card details.
Experts say criminals typically make low-value orders first to see if they go through before moving on to big purchases. They may then change the delivery address or try to intercept packages.
Because you get a confirmation email from Amazon when you order something, fraudsters may hack in to your email account to delete the message.
The problem is that the onus is often on the customer to prove they did not order the goods.
...AND WHAT YOU SHOULD DO
If you notice fraud on an online shopping account, you should alert both the retailer and your bank.
If the retailer refuses to help and you were charged for the purchase by debit card, tell your bank you want to chargeback an unauthorised payment.
If you mention fraud, it may end up being investigated for weeks. There are no guarantees the bank will be able to get your money back and the trader has the power to dispute the recovery.
For example, it may argue that you made the transaction yourself.
If you paid by credit card for goods between £100 and £30,000, you can make a claim under Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act. There is a limited timeframe to make chargeback claims, so be sure to make them within 120 days of the payments being made.
If you received the goods ordered by the fraudster, then you may need to send them back and provide proof of postage.
Call Amazon on 0800 279 7234 to report the fraud or email via your account. If you receive a suspicious email from Amazon, do not respond or click on any links. Go directly to your Amazon account to review or update any details.
Forward any potentially fraudulent emails to stop-spoofing@amazon.com
'My wife has just given birth, so this is money we cannot afford and stress we could be doing without.'
Last month, retired engineer Paul O'Connell received a box of printer ink he hadn't ordered. When he checked his bank account, he saw that around £15 had been taken by Amazon.
Paul then searched his inbox and spotted that the order details had been archived into another folder, suggesting the fraudsters had also compromised his email. After logging in to his Amazon account, Paul, who lives in Kent, then discovered another order, for £404 gaming headphones, delivered to a newsagents in London.
Amazon confirmed Paul's account had been accessed by fraudsters, but sent him to his bank, NatWest, to get a refund. But the bank referred Paul back to the retailer, which pushed him back again. Paul, 66, says: 'I keep being bounced between the two of them and getting no further on with this issue. I am beginning to despair — I am a pensioner and find this very stressful.'
Following Money Mail's intervention, Amazon apologised to all of its affected customers and refunded outstanding charges. It initially tried to push Paul back to his bank but, after pressure from Money Mail, agreed to refund him and offered a giftcard of £30.
A spokesman says Amazon has a range of 'sophisticated and rigorous fraud detection and prevention measures' in place that make its website a safe place to shop.
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