Amazon Account Locked Suspicious Activity

Amazon is the online retailer that many people around the world know and trust. It has taken them years to build their reputation as a trustworthy and reputable site, so they aren’t going to let anyone ruin that for them. Whether you’re a buyer or a seller, adhering to Amazon’s rules is essential if you want to keep your account.

Most of Amazon’s rules are strict and rigid, and they rarely let things slide. If you get hit with a violation, your account is locked or frozen instantly, making it hard to buy or sell any products — but it’s not only the website that’s affected. Being locked out of your account could mean you can’t access your devices and other services.

If you find yourself in this situation, you may be wondering why your Amazon account locked suspicious activity and how to fix it. In this article, we’ll walk you through the process.

Amazon Account Locked Suspicious Activity: How to Unlock/Unfreeze

If you hop on your computer to log in to Amazon but find you can’t access the site, you may have had your Amazon account locked suspicious activity. Not only can this be shocking and frustrating, but it may also have an impact on your livelihood.

Finding your account has been locked or frozen means that you’ll be looking for an Amazon account on hold solution. Here’s what you need to do when wondering: “How to unlock my Amazon account?”

Step 1: Determine Why Your Account Was Locked

The first thing you’ll need to do when you discover your Amazon account locked suspicious activity is to determine the exact reason why.

Amazon can lock accounts for a variety of different reasons, with “suspicious activity” being the most common. With an Amazon account locked, being told that there is suspicious activity doesn’t really narrow things down any, and it could make the process even more stressful.

To make this broad definition a bit less confusing, let’s break down some of the most common types of suspicious activity that might result in an account getting locked, especially if you discover your Amazon account locked after order:

1. False Information Was Provided to Amazon

Probably the most common reason why you’ll find your Amazon account locked suspicious activity is providing false information. This could include your name, billing address, shipping address, or other important information.

You may not think that Amazon has a way to verify what you type into their site, but they do. Should you find your Amazon account locked after order, this could be the reason why.

2. Your New Account Receives an Uncommonly High Number of Orders

Amazon’s rules are in place to protect consumers and sellers alike, and if their anti-fraud system notices that your new account has a high volume of orders, this could result in an Amazon account locked suspicious activity.

Even if the orders are legitimate, Amazon is still doing its job. To find an Amazon account on hold solution or prevent your site from being locked/frozen in the first place, you may have to limit the number of orders you receive for the first few weeks after opening your account.

3. A High Rate of Returns

Not only do a high number of sales trigger Amazon’s anti-fraud system, but a high rate of returns will as well. This can apply to both buyers and sellers, so you need to be aware of how many items you return as a buyer and how many your business receives.

As a buyer, if you’ve made it a habit to return items frequently, you may find your Amazon account locked after order.

4. Using Gift Cards Unusually

Many businesses use gift cards to attract people to their stores, and Amazon isn’t any different. However, they have strict rules when it comes to their gift cards and attempt to regulate their use as much as possible. If you don’t want your Amazon account locked into suspicious activity, you might need to avoid purchasing Amazon gift cards if you just opened an account.

5. Accessing Your Amazon Account from Different IP Addresses with Varying Locations

If you access your Amazon account in different places with different IP addresses, the site automatically assumes that you’ve been hacked — and they’ll lock/freeze your account. Your account will also get locked/frozen if the site notices that you are placing orders outside of your typical operational area.

These are the most common suspicious activities that could get your Amazon account frozen or locked, but they aren’t the only ones. After discovering the reason for not being able to access your account, your next question will be: “How to unlock my Amazon account?”

Step 2: Call Amazon

When wondering how to recover a locked Amazon account, after discovering which suspicious activity impacted you, you’ll then need to call Amazon. Here are the numbers:

Inside the US: 1-888-230-4331
Outside the US: 1-206-266-2992

Step 3: Answer Questions About Your Identity

When you get an Amazon customer service representative on the line, you’ll need to be ready to answer questions about your identity. If you’re using your account legitimately, this process should be quick and easy.

How to Recover Locked Amazon Account: Other Options

If you find your Amazon account locked with suspicious activity, the quickest way to get it unlocked/unfrozen could be to speak to a customer service representative. However, you may also receive an email detailing the suspicious activity.

If you get a message in your inbox, here’s what you’ll need to do to unlock/unfreeze your account:

Reply to the Email

To be able to once again access your Amazon account after receiving an email about suspicious activity, it’s in your best interest to respond to the message.

Of course, it’s possible that you may find your Amazon account locked with suspicious activity and no email. If that’s the case, consider trying the following:

Upload Your Documents Directly to Amazon

Another option you might consider is to upload your documents that prove your identity directly to Amazon. For this to work, you’ll need to follow these steps:

Step 1: Try to Purchase Something on Amazon

This will require you to go to the Amazon site and find a product you want/need. Go through the process like you normally would when placing an order.

Step 2: Wait for the Temporary Hold Message

After trying to purchase a product, since your Amazon account locked suspicious activity no email, a hold message should appear on the screen.

Step 3: Add a Document

Once the hold message appears, you should be given the option of adding documents to prove your identity.

Click on that.

Step 4: Upload Your Documents

Clicking on Add Document should take you to a new screen where you can upload your documents directly to Amazon.

Some things to keep in mind when using this process are that you must provide documents that adhere to the requirements set forth by Amazon.

More often than not, Amazon will not accept screenshots, so your information will need to have been scanned or photographed by a mobile device. There may be other rules in place as well, so find out that information before you attempt this process to recover your Amazon account.

As a side note, it’s in your best interest to follow the safety instructions. You’ll want to make sure that only the last four digits of credit cards are viewable.

How Long Does it Take to Unlock Amazon Account?

No matter which process you use to unlock/unfreeze your account, you’ll still be wondering how long you’ll have to wait until you can access the site once again.

On average, it will take 1 to 2 weeks before you’re able to log in to your account again.

How Do I Solve Login Issues?

Another question you might be curious about is solving login issues. This could reduce the chances of your account getting hacked and getting you flagged for suspicious activity. One thing you might consider is to use two-step verification. Here’s how you’ll implement this:

Step 1: Log in to Your Amazon Account

The first thing you’ll need to do to add the two-step verification to your Amazon account is to log in.

Step 2: Open Your Account Menu

Once you’ve gained access to your account, in the upper right-hand corner of the screen, you’ll see a tab that says, Account & Lists.

Hovering over that with your mouse will open a drop-down menu, and you’ll want to click on “Account.”

Step 3: Go to Login & Security

Your account menu will open in the middle of your screen, and you’ll want to click on the “Login & security” box.

Step 4: Edit the Two-Step Verification

Within the login and security menu, near the bottom of the list, you should see “Two-Step Verification (2SV) Settings,” with an Edit button on the right-hand side.

Click that button.

Step 5: Get Started on the Process

You’ll be asked if you want to Get Started, and since you do, you’ll click on that option. You’ll then follow the on-screen directions to add this extra security measure to your account.

Should you find that this fails, you’ll need to go to this link: Upload to Recover.

Keeping Buyers and Sellers Safe

Amazon has worked hard to ensure that buying and selling on its site is a safe and enjoyable experience for everyone. They have strict rules and guidelines that must be adhered to. If you don’t, you may find your Amazon account locked suspicious activity.

To unlock/unfreeze your account, you’ll follow these steps: