Amazon is investigating claims that employees took bribes to leak customer data and delete negative reviews.
Staff in China and the United States are believed to have handed information to third-party sellers seeking a competitive advantage on Amazon’s platform.
Practices uncovered during a four-month internal investigation include restoring banned accounts, leaking sales figures and handing companies the email addresses of people who review their products, according to The Wall Street Journal.
The paper said that the practice was most common in China, where staff are being paid between £80 and £1,500 to break company policy and exploit a boom in online shopping.
Amazon confirmed last night that it was investigating the allegations and vowed to take action against any seller found to have offered bribes. “We hold our employees to a high ethical standard and anyone in violation of our code faces discipline, including termination and potential legal and criminal penalties,” a spokeswoman said.
Cheap Chinese goods have been pushed up Amazon’s bestseller lists through paid-for-reviews which breach company policy. In April The Times found Facebook groups where companies offered perks in exchange for positive reviews, avoiding detection by asking the reviewer to purchase with their own money before reimbursing them.
Chinese-made goods sold through third parties are mostly exported to countries including Britain.
Source: The Times
