Amazon fined $2.25M by FTC for blocking identity theft victims from fraud records

The Federal Trade Commission has fined Amazon $2.25 million to settle allegations that the company failed to assist customers who were victims of identity theft. The FTC accused Amazon of violating the Fair Credit Reporting Act by withholding purchase records tied to fraudulent accounts opened in victims' names. Affected customers reportedly faced a frustrating cycle when contacting Amazon support, as agents refused to share account details unless victims could already identify the perpetrator. The settlement resolves the FTC's complaint without Amazon necessarily admitting wrongdoing.