Amazon is being slapped with a $2.25 million civil penalty by the US Federal Trade Commission. This is to settle charges that the FTC brought against the e-commerce giant, claiming it blocked identity theft victims’ access to transaction records, which is required by Section 609(e) of the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA).
The FTC also claims that Amazon customer service agents denied many customers who contacted the company regarding requesting records of fraudulent transactions due to “privacy” or “security” reasons. And when Amazon did share the requested records, the company did it after the 30-day window required by the FCRA.
“Amazon even refused to provide application and business transaction records to law enforcement agencies who had been authorized to, and who did, submit requests to Amazon on behalf of consumers who were victims of identity theft. Some frustrated consumers resorted to sending copies of the FCRA and FTC guidance to Amazon in hopes of receiving the requested records, but Amazon still failed to comply with the law.”
In addition to the $2.25 million fine, Amazon will also have to provide access to lawfully requested records to identity theft victims and law enforcement agents within 30 days as guaranteed by the FCRA. Amazon is also being ordered to notify consumers who had requested records since April 2025 but had not received them yet.
The Android Headlines Take
Good on the FTC to take this seriously and fine Amazon, but let’s be real, a $2.25 million fine is nothing for Amazon. Especially when Amazon had a net income of over $30 billion in Q1 2026 alone. This is barely even a slap on the wrist at this point.
Though Amazon isn’t the only one that the FTC has gone after for this same reason. Kohl’s paid a $220,000 fine back in 2020. Amazon also paid a $25 million fine in 2023 to settle allegations that it violated children’s privacy laws related to Alexa.
The post Amazon Was Fined $2.25 Million for Blocking Identity Theft Victims, and It Means Nothing appeared first on Android Headlines.
