Amazon Security Flaw Sends Order Details to Wrong Customers
A technical glitch at Amazon causes the company to send order invoices and shipping updates to the wrong users, exposing private names and addresses. Amazon confirms it fixes the issue but declines to provide further details.
Amazon customers report receiving emails that contain order invoices and shipping updates meant for other people. Cybersecurity expert Jake Williams raises the alarm after receiving an email addressed to a different customer, complete with their name, postal address, and order details. He confirms the message is genuine and states that Amazon simply screws up its system and sends the updates to the wrong recipients.
Several other customers experience the same mishap and take to social media to express their concerns. They warn that this mix-up acts as a serious breach of trust because order emails reveal highly private information about a person's life, habits, and proclivities. Affected users contact Amazon customer service, but some report receiving surprisingly nonchalant responses with supervisors admitting that this issue happens frequently.
Amazon spokesperson Cecilia Fan confirms that a technical issue inadvertently causes some customers to receive delivery estimate updates not intended for them. Fan states that the company fixes the technical issue and informs the impacted customers. This represents the second security lapse in a year for the notoriously secretive company, following a similar technical error in November that exposed customer email addresses.