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Amazon fined $2.25M for withholding evidence from fraud victims
BleepingComputer • • business
Key Points:
- The U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) announced that Amazon will pay a $2.25 million civil penalty for blocking identity theft victims' access to transaction records, violating the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA).
- Amazon allegedly failed to provide fraud victims with records of fraudulent transactions within the required 30-day timeframe and denied requests citing "privacy" or "security" reasons.
- The company also refused to provide application and business transaction records to authorized law enforcement agencies assisting identity theft victims.
- As part of the settlement, Amazon must comply with FCRA requirements by providing requested records within 30 days and notify consumers who requested records since April 2024 but did not receive them.
- This case follows previous fines against Amazon, including a $25 million penalty in July 2023 for violating children's privacy laws, and recalls similar FTC actions against other retailers like Kohl's.
