Is Amazon Reliable, Safe and Trustworthy? (Tips on How Not to Get Scammed)

Nowadays, it’s easy to fall prey to internet scams that can result in a large loss of money or the violation of privacy.

Unfortunately, this can often happen on websites that allow multiple different people to sell items through their means, such as used or second-hand products.

Shoppers who use Amazon may wonder how safe the website really is. Is Amazon safe, reliable, and trustworthy? If you’d like to find out, read through this article to see what I learned!

Is Amazon Reliable, Safe & Trustworthy?

Amazon.com is set up to be safe and trustworthy for all customers and vendors. Amazon doesn’t make customers pay any surprise fees, protects all personal information, and has resources to help report scams and fraud. Amazon is also reliable in fulfilling orders and updating its customers on the status of their packages.

If you’d like to learn more about Amazon’s website security, its reliability in fulfilling orders, its scam prevention, and more, continue reading through this article for more helpful information on how to shop on Amazon safely.

Does Amazon Have Password Protection?

Amazon offers the option of using two-step password verification.

Each time a customer logs into their Amazon account, Amazon will send a security code to their mobile phone, which must be entered before they can access their account.

Therefore, if their password is hacked or accessed by someone without authorization, no one can actually access the Amazon account with the password alone.

How to turn on two step verification:

• Sign in to Amazon.com, access the Accounts & Lists option and click on Your Account.
• Once on your account page, select Login & Security > Advanced Security Settings> Edit
• Once you’ve accessed the Advanced Security Settings, click Get Started
• Select how you’d like to be notified during the two-step verification process. Customers can choose to have their security code sent by text message, automated voice call, or an authenticator app on their mobile device.
• Enter the code that was sent to your device, and then select Verify Code and Continue.
• On the Almost Done page, confirm whether or not you’d like to use verification codes on the device being used, then select Got It> Turn on Two-Step Verification.

Amazon recommends that customers use a mixture of special characters and numerals to further protect their passwords when creating their accounts.

They also have a very thorough Privacy Notice that customers can access when they have any concerns about the security of their passwords.

Does Amazon Hide Your Location?

Amazon will not share customers’ locations with any third party outside their marketplace.

While they allow Third-Party sellers on Amazon Marketplace access to customers’ shipping details, they never disclose any extra information irrelevant to fulfilling a sale, as stated in their Privacy Notice.

Does Amazon Keep Banking Details Protected?

Amazon does not disclose personal banking information to any third party outside the Amazon marketplace.

Third-Party sellers approved by Amazon may have access to the information in order to properly fulfill orders.

But they strictly adhere to the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) when handling information about customers’ credit card data.

Amazon also has security devices to protect against unauthorized access or loss of credit/debit card data.

These features can be controlled from customers’ personal accounts.

Amazon also recommends logging off from accounts after using an account on a shared computer to further prevent unauthorized access to financial details.

Does Amazon Fulfill Orders Properly?

Amazon is very reliable when fulfilling orders.

After customers complete a purchase, they will receive an email from Amazon shortly after with the details of their purchase and the estimated arrival date of their package.

For Amazon customers who live in the United States, Amazon will usually be able to fulfill orders placed within 1-7 business days, depending on shipping speeds.

Additionally, this may vary with third-party sellers, which can take between 1 and 21 business days to fulfill an order.

For Amazon customers who live outside of the United States, delivery times will fluctuate greatly depending on where the item is being shipped from.

Generally, items will take anywhere from 3 business days to 12 weeks to arrive.

For this reason, Amazon recommends checking all third-party seller policies so that there is no confusion over how quickly an order will be fulfilled.

How Do I Stay Safe While Ordering Through Amazon?

There are a number of things Amazon customers can do in order to place orders safely through Amazon.com.

Consider applying the following methods when shopping on Amazon.

Contact third-party sellers directly, and peruse their reviews before deciding to make a purchase.

Additionally, contacting the seller directly will allow customers to ask more questions about the quality of a product and the estimated delivery time.

Reading customer reviews of the seller will also help a consumer determine whether the seller is trustworthy or not based on other customers’ individual experiences.

If customers detect suspicious activity on their accounts, Amazon encourages them to change their account password. This may prevent a hacker from re-entering the account a second time.

Amazon offers further advice for staying safe while making purchases in their Privacy Notice, which customers can consult at any time when concerned about an order.

How Customers Get Scammed On Amazon

While Amazon has a large number of privacy and fraud policies in place to avoid scams.

There are still a number of ways scammers can get to Amazon consumers that customers should be cautious of.

Gift Card Scams:

• Amazon customers may receive emails, phone calls, or messages through social media for discounted deals on Amazon gift cards. Usually, these calls or messages will be sent with a sense of urgency.
• For example, the seller may try to entice the consumer by saying that they are about to lose their house or vehicle. They will offer so-called goods that can be purchased with Amazon gift cards.
• Customers should avoid any message of this nature, as Amazon gift cards can be used on Amazon only.

Amazon Phishing Scam:

• Customers will receive emails from a fraud artist claiming to be a customer service representative from Amazon, saying that either their personal information needs to be updated or that a recent purchase couldn’t be processed until personal data is confirmed.
• There will be a link to click on to transmit such personal information, which, if filled out, will be re-routed to the fraud artist’s personal device. This may result in financial fraud.
• Amazon’s website states that they will never send emails requesting personal information; if customers receive such an email, they are to delete and report it immediately.

Customers are encouraged to avoid any Amazon-related posts, emails, messages, etc that seem suspicious, and to report such doings to Amazon.com.

To learn more about this eCommerce giant, you can see our other posts on why Amazon is so successful, Amazon book sale statistics, and how much Amazon makes every second.

Conclusion

Amazon.com is among the most trustworthy, safe and reliable e-commerce websites currently in business. All personal information is protected under Amazon’s Privacy Notice, to prevent stolen data of customers.

Amazon is also known to be reliable with fulfilling customer orders. Estimated delivery times and updates on shipping are regularly sent to customers when the information is available.

Amazon also offers safety tips for dealing with third-party sellers.