However, these fake shops have still been pretty easy to spot on Amazon. Now the perpetrators have come up with something new to keep their business running. The perfidious thing about the scam is that the customers who order from the shop actually receive goods.
The old version
Until now, fake shops were usually easy to spot if you knew what to look out for. The perpetrators used targeted phishing measures to obtain access data to an existing shop with usually good reviews. Within a very short period of time, for example, 500,000 items of all kinds, usually high-priced, were easily posted and offered for sale online. These were not items that matched the hacked shop. A camera shop suddenly sold refrigerators, graphics cards and lawn mowers.
Anyone who ordered here as usual via the Amazon shopping cart received a prompt cancellation of the order and then a payment request by email in the form of Amazon. Alternatively, the perpetrators wrote in the shop description on Amazon that the order should generally be placed via an email address. The perpetrators wanted to make the entire payment outside of Amazon in order to evade Amazon's security mechanisms. The customer should then pay for the goods in advance to a foreign account.
If the fraud was discovered later, Amazon could not help because this payment method is not covered by buyer protection. It took some time for such a shop to be recognized and the large number of items on offer meant that numerous people were able to be persuaded to buy it.
What was striking about this scam was the relatively low prices of the goods.
Normally, Amazon itself already offers the currently low prices. The same items at Markeplace retailers were either the same price or more expensive. As an example, let's take a drone that cost around 1000 euros on Amazon and was offered in the fake shop for 650 euros. Things got a little trickier when the perpetrators also offered products that were no longer in stock with reputable sellers in the marketplace or on Amazon or were offered as used, meaning there were no comparison options.
So the features were:
- Affordable prices (significantly cheaper than reputable retailers/Amazon)
- Contact in the marketplace shop should only be made via an external email address
- Further communication only takes place via external email traffic and not via the official Amazon channels
- Order via Amazon shopping cart was canceled promptly and fake invoice was sent
- Payment was made by bank transfer outside of Amazon to a bank account (usually abroad)
The new variant
In the meantime, the perpetrators have come up with a new option. We became aware of this scam through an inquiry from a citizen, which has apparently been active since the summer of 2022. As before, you first take over an existing shop using phishing and list various goods there. These are cheap in terms of pricing compared to the typical selling price. These include goods that are also at low prices (e.g. a kickboard for 105 euros [instead of 195 euros] or tools for 35 euros [instead of 55 euros]).

The customer discovers the desired product on Amazon, which is now also offered in a marketplace shop. Since it is cheap for him, it is added to the shopping cart. The order is then placed in the shopping cart and payment is made using the payment method stored on Amazon. The purchase is made as usual on Amazon. The perpetrator with the fake shop himself receives the payment money via the appropriate payment channels from Amazon.

The perpetrator now orders the goods the customer wants from an online retailer who sends the products directly on account. To do this, he uses the Amazon customer's real postal address, but uses a different email address that the perpetrator created himself to process the order. The invoice and other correspondence (e.g. shipping confirmations, shop registrations, etc.) are not sent to the recipient of the goods, but only to the perpetrators. However, the ordered goods are shipped to the customer.


The Amazon customer receives the goods they ordered as usual and thinks nothing of it. For him the order has been successfully completed. This means that for the time being there will be no negative feedback to Amazon, who will not be able to classify the shop as a fake shop and therefore block it.
The real online shop, which also shipped the goods, is now waiting for the invoice to be paid. However, this was sent by email to the perpetrator's email address, which they completely ignored. Further payment requests will now also initially be sent by email. Only much later (e.g. after 1/2 year) will the affected shops send a postal reminder to the recipient of the goods. They are irritated by the post and payment request and may even suspect a scam because they are not aware of an order from the shop. Only telephone inquiries reveal how the perpetrators acted here. Customers may then turn to Amazon and write a negative review of the shop at the same time, which other customers could then read and warn.

We cannot say here to what extent the damaged shop can take legal action against the recipient of the goods regarding the delivered goods or outstanding invoices.
If necessary, this would then have to be clarified under civil law between the parties concerned. We currently do not have any figures as to how many shops are affected. This is due, among other things, to the fact that the reminder letters may have just been delivered.
How can I protect myself as a buyer and recognize such shops?
Be careful when purchasing via platforms such as Amazon and comparable providers where external sellers can integrate shops. Check the shops and their data/imprint by reading the reviews and writing them as the person concerned and also cross-checking the goods on offer . If a shop that normally sells records suddenly offers vacuum cleaners or lawn mowers in an untypical manner, this could already be an indication that perpetrators have taken over the shop. If there is an independent website, this can also be used for comparison or, if in doubt, to contact us. You can also check websites for evidence of fake shops at www.fakeshopfinder.de
Since the perpetrators offer both extremely conspicuously cheap goods and almost normal-priced products, this feature is only of limited use as an indication of a fake shop. There are also products that are only in the double-digit range or in the low three-digit range and are therefore rather atypical for fake shops that want to make a lot of money quickly with high-priced products. Unfortunately, the delivery of the ordered product can also lead to customers initially writing a positive review of the shop and thus other customers feel safe when ordering.
Check who sent the goods. Is it Amazon direct? Is it Amazon, but on behalf of a marketplace retailer, or is it just the marketplace retailer as a shop and shipper? In the latter case, you should definitely check the information and features mentioned above to be on the safe side to be sure that you are buying from a reputable marketplace dealer. Fake shops on Amazon are still an exception and not the rule!

The example shows possible reviews of a shop that was misused. This should not be confused with reviews of a product. In our case study, however, a look at the review would have had no effect because the purchase took place before it was published.
How can I protect myself as a real shop on Amazon?
If you have a marketplace shop on Amazon or a comparable platform, then you should protect your shop accordingly. This applies to the access data and of course also to the hardware/software you use to operate the shop. We describe a scam on how perpetrators get your access data here in our separate article . Use additional security methods when logging into such a shop (e.g. 2-factor authentication). Be careful if you receive inquiries about an item (e.g. by email with a link) and then you unexpectedly have to log in to the shop after opening the link from the email. This could be phishing.
Not every shop operator uses the Amazon Marketplace frequently, so such a shop takeover by perpetrators may only be noticed a few days or weeks later. However, if you are affected, you should act immediately and contact support for marketplace operators on Amazon.
How can I protect myself as a real shop (outside of Amazon)?
Unfortunately, protection is difficult to achieve here, as the operator has to decide for himself whether he wants to offer purchase on account and how he wants to carry out this. One possibility would be to offer invoices only for regular customers. In addition, invoicing within the delivery of goods or at the same time by post would be an option.
If you are already a victim of this scam, please report it to your local police authority. Use the material that is already available (e.g. purchase overviews, affected customer accounts with e.g. stored email addresses, IP addresses, etc.) and bring it with you to file the advertisement. Clarify with the clerk on site that it is very likely that further cases will follow. This means that the investigation can at least begin and valuable time is not lost.
An employee of an affected shop said that items were also offered on other sales platforms such as eBay.
But this was only a small part. In addition, some fake shop operators have posed as alleged partner shops. If necessary, simultaneous clarification via a warning about this scam, for example via your own website, can be helpful.
Also contact Amazon and report shops you know (e.g. from feedback from customers who have received deliveries).
I received one of the reminders mentioned above. How should I behave?
Research the data (e.g. name, website, telephone number, etc.) mentioned on the letters online. You can also use the fake shop finder mentioned above for a quick initial check. Then, for example, clarify over the phone with the real shop what the item in the reminder is about and how it was ordered. For example, which email address was used to set up the customer account and send invoices? Clarify the next steps, if necessary with the support of the sales platform.
A reminder or a debt collection procedure can also have a negative impact on future credit inquiries (e.g. Schufa or Creditreform). Accordingly, this should also be clarified with the requesting body, or if necessary with legal assistance.
Source:
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