Amazon Expands Anti-Counterfeit Unit in India to Protect Sellers and Consumers

New Delhi — Amazon is expanding the operations of its Counterfeit Crimes Unit in India as the U.S.-based e-commerce giant steps up efforts to protect consumers and its network of more than 1.7 million legitimate sellers from counterfeit products.

Kebharu Smith, Director of Amazon’s Counterfeit Crimes Unit, said the expansion is intended to strengthen the company’s enforcement efforts in India and deepen cooperation with local law enforcement agencies.

“Our mission is to take the fight to these bad actors,” Smith said in an interview.

Launched in June 2020, the Counterfeit Crimes Unit is a global team that investigates counterfeiters and works with law enforcement and brands to pursue civil and criminal cases.

Smith said the unit has pursued more than 32,000 bad actors worldwide through civil litigation and criminal referrals since its launch.

Amazon’s seller base in India has grown to more than 1.7 million, with about half of those sellers based in tier-two and tier-three cities, Smith said.

The company is also working with Indian authorities on counterfeit investigations.

“We have ongoing investigations with the CBI here in India as well,” Smith said.

Amazon said it helped identify, seize and appropriately dispose of more than 15 million counterfeit products globally in 2025. The company and its partners also conducted more than 70 raids against counterfeit manufacturers, suppliers and distributors during the year.

Since the Counterfeit Crimes Unit was established, Amazon said its legal actions have resulted in more than $300 million in court-ordered restitution and contributed to the incarceration of more than 290 people involved in criminal activity.

The company has also expanded the use of technology to detect fraud and counterfeit activity before products reach customers.

Amazon’s first global Trustworthy Shopping Experience Report, released in April, detailed the company’s use of seller verification, proactive controls, brand-protection tools and partnerships with law enforcement.

More than 15,000 Amazon employees globally work on protecting customers from scams, fraud and abuse, according to the company. Amazon also said it proactively blocked more than 285 million suspected fake reviews worldwide in 2025.

With India’s festive shopping season approaching, Smith said maintaining consumer confidence and ensuring product authenticity remain important priorities.

“We understand that customer trust is hard to earn and easy to lose,” he said.

Amazon said more than 2.7 billion product units have also been verified as genuine through its Transparency program, which uses unique product codes to help brands and customers confirm authenticity. (Source: IANS)