// Amazon seized more than 3 million counterfeit products last year in its efforts to stamp out online fraud
// The ecommerce giant invested more than $900million in preventing counterfeiting and fraud ast year
Amazon seized more than 3 million fake products last year and stopped more than 2.5 million phoney selling accounts being set up in a crackdown on counterfeit goods.
The online giant invested more than $900 million and had more than 12,000 staff, including machine learning scientists, software developers, and expert investigators, dedicated to protecting customers and brands from counterfeiting and fraud.
The number of fraudulent selling accounts stopped fell from 6 million in 2020 to 2.5 million last year, which Amazon executive Anna Dalla Val said was down to its more robust vetting system for both sellers and products.
The ecommerce goliath has also been working closely with brands to stamp out the selling of fake goods.
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The retailer has built Brand Registry, which gives brands a suite of tools to protect them from fraudulent activity, which more than 700,000 companies use, an increase of 40% from the prior year.
However, the number of valid infringement notices submitted by a brand through Brand Registry decreased by more than 25%, which the retailer said was evidence that its brand protection efforts were working.
Amazon has also committed to hold counterfeiters to account. In 2021 its Amazon Counterfeit Crimes Unit filed civil litigation against more than 170 people in US counts and sued or referred more than 600 criminals for investigation in the US, UK, EU, and China. This is up more than 300% from 2020.
Meanwhile, Amazon worked with both brands and the police to find counterfeiters’ warehouses and facilities to ensure they were shutdown for good.
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