Amazon employees charged with theft of $100,000 in Apple Watch products
Four Amazon employees have been charged with the alleged theft of Apple Watches from an Amazon fulfillment center pegged with a value of over $100,000.
Security
As reported by CBS Philly, on May 2, 2019, the Middletown Police Department was contacted by Amazon Loss Prevention which had heard reports of internal thefts taking place at one of the e-commerce giant's Amazon Fulfillment Centers.
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An investigation connected four employees to the claimed thefts, of which law enforcement says the four worked together to "remove over $100,000 in Apple Watches over the course of several months."
Middletown Police then obtained search warrants which led to the recovery of some Apple products.
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The four Amazon employees have been charged with theft and conspiracy. Three have been arraigned and released, while one is wanted and a warrant is active for her arrest.
The loss of stolen goods worth $100,000 might seem like a small fortune, but to Amazon, some cases of persistent theft cost far more. One such scenario involved a couple from Muncie several years ago who operated an elaborate scheme in which electronics such as cameras, gaming consoles, and smartwatches were purchased on Amazon's platform, reported as faulty, and replacements were then delivered at no charge.
The continual claims of broken goods, made possible through the creation of countless online identities, were false and the products were later sold to third parties to generate a profit. Prosecutors believe the couple was able to swindle Amazon out of roughly $1.2 million.
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The loss of revenue through theft and fraud is a never-ending problem for Amazon in the same manner as any other company which needs to use fulfillment centers as part of their business and supply model.
However, this does not mean that Amazon is not tackling the issue -- and one tactic the firm is using is rather unusual. Last year, Amazon partnered with US law enforcement to plant dummy packages around the city of Jersey to nab would-be thieves in the act.
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