Amazon blocked more than 10bn fraudulent listings during 2020

Amazon prevented more than 10 billion fraudulent product listings from appearing in its online stores in 2020 and seized more than two million counterfeit products, according to a new report.

The online giant’s latest brand protection report said its verification processes also stopped more than six million attempts to create selling accounts because they were deemed suspicious.

As the coronavirus pandemic and lockdown measures kept people at home, millions turned to online shopping – often for the first time – and concerns were raised over scammers looking to capitalise on the increased opportunity for fraud.

In response, Amazon said it invested more than $700 million (£501m) to protect its stores from fraud and abuse in 2020 and employed more than 10,000 people to oversee the protection effort. According to the brand protection report, in 2020 only 6% of attempts to register a selling account passed Amazon’s verification processes and successfully listed products for sale.

“Amazon was an important partner for the millions of small and medium businesses that sell in our store during the pandemic,” the firm’s vicepresident for customer trust and partner support, Dharmesh Mehta, said.

“We’ve helped our selling partners keep their virtual doors open... and continued to ensure that the vast majority of customers shop with confidence from our broad selection of authentic products.”

Amazon has seen many new sellers during