I'm finally free. I've spent five months being confused. It started out with me being locked out of my account repeatedly. There was no explanation as to why I was locked out. It ended with me finally cancelling my actual credit card. I won't bore you with the minute details. Also, I'm not sure that I actually even understand the details.
No matter what was going on with my account, Amazon never disclosed any security issues. To the best of my knowledge, thieves were using my account. First they made small purchases, to match mine. (I just download books and small ticket items, spending about $50 to $100 a month.) They used fraudulent credit cards, and sometimes mine. They accelerated to purchasing big ticket items, like a $4000 television, a hideous coffee table, iPhones, and more. These items were sent to Delaware and Florida. One time, I accidentally received air pods that were placed in my box of vitamins, instead of being sent to Florida.
No matter who I spoke to, or how many times I tried to shut down my account, the account was left open. It takes approximately 12 steps to shut down your account from Amazon's website. And then, you are told for your trouble, that they will send you a notification about your account in a few days. That notification never arrives.
I contrast their actions to Netflix. My account was hacked twice, and I was immediately notified. One hacker was in Southeast Asia, and the other was in the Dominican Republic. Red flags. There were Amazon purchases made on the east coast. I have lived in California for 20 years. I use English, there were receipts in Spanish for my account. I never buy big ticket items. There were so many red flags that Amazon just simply ignored. These were all red flags that were pointedly kept from me. I had to investigate them on my own.
Here are some signs to look for with your Amazon account: Monitor your mailing addresses. Are there new addresses added? Check your account regularly. Check your searches. Are all of the searches your searches? Check your payment page, and make sure that only your credit card is listed as a method of payment. Amazon wants you to use "one click", because it's convenient. We all just purchase like robots, because it's convenient. But, check your information with each purchase.
In the end, I was told on the telephone that I would have to go to the box store of an Amazon partner, and file a complaint, filling out paper work. I was told that I would have to participate in the investigation being conducted by police in Delaware. How can I participate in an investigation of a situation I don't even understand? I laughed, hung up the phone, and then cancelled my credit card. Just like that, it all stopped, and Amazon cancelled my account.
Now, I'm heading to my bank this morning, with my Amazon records which do not match my credit card. I was an early Amazon customer, because I loved having fast access to books. They have their fingers in so many pies right now, only cash matters. And, hearing about their treatment of employees is appalling. They are willing to let fraud continue, as long as they figure out how to make money off of it. Yuck.
