New Delhi — Amazon is expanding its Counterfeit Crimes Unit in India as the company steps up efforts to protect consumers and more than 1.7 million legitimate sellers from counterfeit products.
Kebharu Smith, Director of Amazon’s Counterfeit Crimes Unit, said Friday that the unit is strengthening its presence in India and increasing cooperation with local law enforcement agencies.
“Our mission is to take the fight to these bad actors,” Smith said, adding that Amazon has ongoing investigations with the Central Bureau of Investigation in India.
Amazon launched the Counterfeit Crimes Unit in June 2020. Since then, the global team has pursued more than 32,000 suspected counterfeiters through civil lawsuits and criminal referrals to law enforcement agencies.
Smith said Amazon works with more than 1.7 million sellers in India, with about half based in tier-two and tier-three cities.
The company said it helped identify, seize and dispose of more than 15 million counterfeit products worldwide in 2025. Amazon also worked with partners on more than 70 raids targeting counterfeit manufacturers, suppliers and distributors during the year.
Since the unit was established, Amazon said its enforcement and legal efforts have resulted in more than $300 million in court-ordered restitution and contributed to the imprisonment of more than 290 people.
Amazon has also expanded the use of seller verification, brand-protection tools and other preventative measures to combat counterfeit goods, scams and fraud.
More than 15,000 Amazon employees globally work on protecting customers from scams, fraud and abuse, according to the company. It said it proactively blocked more than 285 million suspected fake reviews worldwide in 2025.
Amazon also said more than 2.7 billion product units have been verified as genuine through its Transparency program.
With India’s festive shopping season approaching, Smith said maintaining consumer confidence and ensuring product authenticity remain priorities for the company.
“We understand that customer trust is hard to earn and easy to lose,” he said. (Source: IANS)
