Fraud victims abandoned by Amazon: Online giant is making £9,000 a second during coronavirus crisis... but it has closed a crucial helpline used by customers whose accounts have been hacked (6 Pics)
Amazon is abandoning desperate fraud victims just as cyber-crime soars, MPs claim.
The online giant is making £9,000 a second in the coronavirus crisis – yet has closed a crucial fraud helpline.
The retailer has enjoyed a surge in sales from customers forced to stay at home, but many say they have been defrauded on the site – and claim they cannot get any help from Amazon because no one is manning the customer service line.
MPs and campaigners have criticised the company and called for action from regulators.
Amazon, pictured, s making £9,000 a second in the coronavirus crisis – yet has closed a crucial fraud helpline
They want to know why Amazon staff cannot run a customer service line while staff work from home like other major firms have done.
Complaints about the online giant have hit 3,600 in the past two months, according to complaints website Resolver, which received 681 cases just last week.
Yet customers who call Amazon's customer service line for help are now greeted with a message that asks for patience in 'this challenging time'.
It then directs the caller to the website, adding: 'We apologise for the inconvenience. Goodbye.'
Fraudsters target Amazon accounts because customers often keep card details stored in them – and many accounts are protected by only an email address and password.
Once the scammer hacks into the account, he or she can make purchases. They can also change the delivery address or try to intercept the package before it arrives.
Fraud victims including Sue Mooney, pictured right, only got an automated message when trying to ring the company about account hacking
The company, founded by Jeff Bezos, pictured in a warehouse, said its customer services team offers multiple ways to get in touch about any concern or query, including online chat
Other personal information, such as the customer's address and phone number, can be traded with other criminals or used to target them in other scams.
Consumer rights expert Martyn James, from Resolver, said: 'This is utterly outrageous. At a time when Amazon is massively profiting from the coronavirus pandemic, the least it can do is offer customers a phone line to call. If other companies, such as banks, can do this – why can't Amazon?'
Katie Watts, from personal finance site MoneySavingExpert, said: 'Even in normal times, Amazon's provision to help victims of fraud is seriously lacking. Amazon needs to step up.'
Adam French, consumer rights expert at Which?, said: 'All online retailers and marketplaces need to make the process for reporting fraud simple, and ensure that any cases of criminal activity taking place through their sites are dealt with quickly and effectively.'
Labour MP Dame Margaret Hodge said: 'Digital giants like Amazon need to stop ignoring their loyal customers and start taking seriously their responsibility to tackle online fraud.'
Fellow Labour MP Meg Hillier added: 'Customer service is not just about taking the money and delivering the goods, it's also got to be about protecting customers from dodgy sellers using Amazon to defraud people.'
This week GCHQ director Jeremy Fleming warned that families face an unprecedented threat from cyber-criminals seeking to exploit the pandemic.
The Daily Mail reported on the growing concerns, pictured, in its newspaper on Tuesday
Amazon said: 'We take the health and safety of our associates very seriously and social distancing requirements have resulted in extended response times.
'We ask for your patience in this challenging period. Our customer services team offers multiple ways to contact us about any concern or query, including online chat.'
Amazon shoppers' tales of woe
David and Kimberly Penhale, pictured, struggled to get help when fraudsters bought £150 of gift cards through their account
Kimberly Penhale struggled to get through to Amazon when fraudsters bought £150 of gift cards through her account on April 3.
After being unable to contact the company on the phone, the mother of two – pictured left with husband David – reported it to her bank HSBC which refunded the amount the same day.
But a week later Amazon locked her account. She has been trying to speak to the company since then – to no avail.
Miss Penhale, 28, from Uckfield in West Sussex, said: ‘I tried the online chat, but got disconnected.
‘What about older people or those who struggle online? They are stuck.
'You would think a company as big as Amazon would have its priorities straight.’
Rebecca Juarez-Rivera, 32, says Amazon has done nothing to help after fraudsters accessed her account and ordered nine items on April 15.
Mrs Juarez-Rivera, who is 36 weeks’ pregnant and lives in Staffordshire, rang Amazon but got the automated message. She then tried reporting the fraud online and was told to wait.
She changed her password but the fraudster accessed her account again and left reviews on the stolen products.
She said: ‘I am in my third trimester of pregnancy and Amazon has been a lifeline to me. But this has been so stressful and at times I’ve been in tears.’
Amazon has now refunded Mrs Juarez-Rivera and is working to help her close her account.
Sue Mooney, pictured, noticed £136.98 has been taken from her account
Sue Mooney noticed £136.98 had been taken from her bank account on April 17.
When she called Nationwide to query the transaction, it told her it had been made to Amazon.
The mother-of-two, who is registered blind, called Amazon immediately, but got only the automated message.
Mrs Mooney, 57, pictured, tried to contact Amazon through its Twitter account but was told to send a message through the app. She also tried emailing.
Mrs Mooney, from Liverpool, said: ‘I need special software to read messages online.
'It is best I speak to someone. This has been horrendous’
Last week Amazon paid a partial refund of £125 into her account with no explanation.
The company says Mrs Mooney has been fully refunded and her account secured.
