Amazon Lockers, these secure lockers allowing you to collect your packages with complete peace of mind, are a service the American company is banking on. More practical, more accessible, and above all, more numerous, they promise customers the ability to collect their packages independently after placing their order. However, while they are very practical on a daily basis, they also attract the attention of scammers. After a collective fraud that cost Amazon nearly €500,000 in 2023, a 23-year-old student used his IT skills to hijack the system for his own benefit. Yoann T., tried on April 8, 2025 at the Pontoise Criminal Court, is accused of causing damage of more than €110,000 to the American giant.
An ingenious but illegal method
The computer science student managed to bypass the security of Amazon lockers. Using false identities, he ordered high-value high-tech products, including Apple devices. These packages were delivered to Amazon lockers, which he then hacked to recover the products. Once the contents were stolen, he returned the empty boxes to the lockers.
According to Amazon policy, any package not collected within three days is automatically refunded. By exploiting this loophole, the Frenchman was able to recover both the products and their refund, creating a double loss for the company. This operation, repeated over several years between June 2021 and January 2024, allowed him to steal more than €110,000 worth of merchandise.
€110,000
The scam caused total damage estimated at 111,215 euros for Amazon. When he was arrested in January 2024, while on his way to class, the student quickly confessed. A search of his home allowed investigators to discover several stolen or lost identity documents, around ten fraudulent bank cards, secure crypto wallets, and a large collection of electronic devices.
Despite his illegal activities, the man claimed to have acted alone to avoid increased charges related to an organized crime. He even indicated that he had been approached by the group responsible for the 2023 collective scam, but declined their offer, deeming their method too lacking in sophistication.
A trial expected
Faced with the evidence and the defendant's confession, the criminal court will have to decide on the sentence to be imposed on this student. Beyond the news item, the case raises serious questions about the security of automated systems like Amazon lockers, and the measures implemented to prevent this type of scam.
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