Senior says $4,600 stolen from Amazon account

A Brandon-area senior said he has been left frustrated and financially drained after more than $4,600 disappeared from his family’s Amazon account this summer, with little progress made despite repeated calls to the online retail giant.

Gerald Allen told the Sun that the ordeal began in June, shortly after he and his wife, Janice, returned to their home in the RM of Cornwallis from a vacation.

“We took our bitcoin and put it into an Amazon gift card,” Allen said. “When we came back, it was down to $169 from about $4,800. I phoned Amazon, and we have been — well, I didn’t want to use the word ‘fighting’ — but we’ve been stalling back and forth with them to tell us where the money went. And we’ve been doing this since the 25th of June.”

According to Allen, Amazon representatives initially reassured him that the missing balance would be reimbursed within seven days, but the promised refund never arrived. Instead, he said he and his wife were locked out of their account multiple times, with even the remaining $169 balance eventually disappearing.

“From June 9 to July 15, it was gone — $4,645 is missing,” he said. “They keep saying in 24 hours we’ll know more, but nothing ever happens. When we ask for a supervisor, sometimes they hang up on us. It’s been a nightmare.”

Allen said Amazon staff acknowledged that purchases were made on his account — including items like a lawn mower, food, drinks, two phones and a gaming computer — but would not disclose where the goods were shipped or who received them.

“They know somebody is taking it, but they won’t tell us where it’s going,” he said. “They are not a secure company.”

The ordeal has left the Allens questioning the security of their devices as well. Allen said both his and his wife’s phones, along with their rural internet tower, appeared to have been compromised around the same time the theft occurred.

“I think that’s how they got in,” he said. “Our phones got corrupted. We got them fixed, but ever since then, our money just went — gone.”

When contacted, Brandon Police Service communications officer Janet Reichert said the service has documented several scams over recent months.

“If someone calls in and says they think they are being scammed by Amazon but no money has been exchanged, they will be directed to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Department,” Reichert explained. “If funds are lost, we investigate and can work with outside agencies. Folks should please report all fraud to police so we can properly investigate or give appropriate advice.”

Reichert also pointed to tips provided by RBC to help customers protect themselves from fraud. The bank warns that legitimate representatives will never request card information, PINs, one-time passcodes, or remote access to a customer’s device, nor will they pressure individuals into transferring funds under the guise of account security.

Amazon Canada public relations specialist Octavia Roufogalis did not respond to the Sun’s email before press time.

For Allen and his wife, the unanswered questions remain as troubling as the missing funds.

“They’ve been saying since June they’d fix this,” Allen said. “We just want our money back — and for them to stop letting whoever did this keep draining accounts.”

» aodutola@brandonsun.com

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