Former Amazon Employee Charged in $96K Fraud Scheme After FBI Investigation
Key Details of the Case
- Defendant: Vu Anh Nguyen, former Amazon Selling Support Associate
- Location: Tempe, Arizona
- Charges: Federal wire fraud and aggravated identity theft
- Timeframe: Fraudulent activity occurred between November 2019-February 2020
- Total Losses: $96,508.13 in unauthorized refunds
How the Fraud Was Committed
Nguyen allegedly exploited his employee access to Amazon’s internal systems to:
- Issue 318 fraudulent refunds to himself and associates
- Target high-value items like computers and electronics that were never returned
- Operate two third-party seller accounts (Bullsy and ItemsQuest) to facilitate the scheme
- Personally receive $222.04 worth of items through fraudulent concession refunds
- Commit identity theft using a third-party’s credit card information for a $47.80 purchase
Amazon’s Response and Detection Systems
Amazon’s internal fraud detection systems identified suspicious refund activity, leading to:
- Multiple attempts to contact Nguyen about the irregularities
- Termination of employment on March 24, 2020
- Reporting the case to the FBI in July 2020
“We thank the Department of Justice and Federal Bureau of Investigation for their swift work to hold this fraudster accountable,” an Amazon spokesperson stated. “There is no place for misconduct or fraud at Amazon.”
Broader Pattern of Fraud Cases
This case follows several other recent fraud incidents involving Amazon:
- $19M Vendor Fraud: Four individuals charged with fraudulent invoicing
- Counterfeit Crackdown: Amazon launched a dedicated counterfeit crimes unit
- Employee Bribery Scheme: Six people indicted for bribing Amazon employees
Additional Legal Troubles
Separate from the Amazon case, Nguyen was under investigation for securities fraud (“free-riding”) that allegedly caused:
- $695,000 in losses across eight brokerage firms (per DOJ filing)
- Over $1 million in losses (per SEC litigation release)
Amazon’s Fraud Prevention Measures
The company highlighted its ongoing efforts to combat fraud through:
- Proactive monitoring systems
- Employee conduct standards
- Collaboration with law enforcement
- Recent implementation of video verification for third-party sellers
Court documents available via Scribd
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