Amazon has reportedly closed more than 13,000 Pakistani seller accounts due to allegations that they were involved in fraudulent activities. Small business owners selling products on Amazon has increased in recent years because of government support for entrepreneurs who wish to sell more products to other countries.
Mian Chanuu and Sahiwal, two cities in Punjab, have reportedly been designated as fraudulent red zones by Amazon because vendors based there have been discovered engaging in fraudulent operations.
According to sources, Amazon has also blacklisted IP addresses from Mian Channu, therefore users from these regions are now using Dubai or the computers of other customers to access their accounts.
According to the information, the vendors are engaging in scams known locally as kabootar (pigeon trick), rickshaw trick, carding, and filing.
When a consumer purchases merchandise from a phony Amazon seller, sellers utilize the Kabootar technique or false tracking. Two distinct websites provide phony tracking services.
Kabootar Trick
Scammers use a trick called the “Kabootar” method, where they provide fake tracking information for shipments. There are two different websites that provide fake tracking.
Typically, Amazon credits the amount to sellers within 14 days. however, such sellers inform the customers that it will take 15 to 20 days to deliver their orders. The customer does not raise any disputes by believing the sellers and Amazon transfers the amount to the seller after 14 days. Actual purchasers never get their products, and the fraudulent sellers make their money. Sellers reportedly earn thousands of dollars through this Kabootar trick.
Carding
People who create an account on a dark web website are mostly involved in carding. Such people buy hacked cards from such websites for $100 to $200 with complete details, including card number, expiry, and Card Verification Value (CVV).
Such sellers use these cards to buy prepaid gift cards and sell those. This way, they can avoid getting caught by the authorities.
Filing
Another method is filing in which sellers receive the order on an Amazon account, buy it from another account but ship it to the original honest buyer. They create such secondary accounts on Sam’s Club, Walmart and different vendors and purchase the products that amazon customers had ordered and use the buyer’s delivery addresses.
With some assistance from Sam’s Club’s staff, all the orders that have been delivered to Amazon customers are refunded as the same buyer gets delivery from one seller. The fraudulent seller receives the money from the buyer and the refund from the second vendor.