Amazon.com Inc. has agreed to pay a $2.25 million civil penalty to settle U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) allegations related to identity theft victims. Multiple outlets report that the FTC’s complaint says Amazon routinely failed to provide required transaction records to customers who were victims of identity theft, which allegedly prevented those consumers from accessing information about purchases made using fraudulent accounts. The FTC frames the matter as a violation of obligations under the Fair Credit Reporting Act, including requirements to make relevant information available to the appropriate parties in response to identity theft-related requests.
The settlement ends an FTC enforcement action without requiring a trial on the merits, according to the coverage. Bloomberg reports the case involves claims that Amazon did not supply records that customers needed to understand or address unauthorized transactions. The Verge and Engadget similarly describe the FTC’s position that Amazon blocked or failed to help consumers obtain purchase data tied to fraud. Bleeping Computer echoes that the FTC characterizes the conduct as withholding evidence from identity theft victims and notes the $2.25 million settlement amount.
