Source: Amazon Singapore for illustration purposes only
A customer who ordered a S$1,499 laptop from Amazon Singapore said the device never arrived.
This was reportedly after he unknowingly gave a one-time password (OTP) to someone claiming to be the delivery driver.
According to an email tip-off by MS News reader Howard Toh, the incident has since spiralled into weeks of investigations, contradictory customer service responses, and a police report.
This incident has raised concerns over whether consumers fully understand how OTP-based delivery systems work.
Mr Toh told MS News that he had placed an order for a laptop through Amazon Singapore.
Source: Amazon Singapore for illustration purposes only
On 28 April, the scheduled delivery day, he allegedly received a phone call from a person claiming to be the delivery driver.
The caller then reportedly asked for the OTP linked to the delivery to complete the process.
As the order required OTP verification and the call occurred during the expected delivery window, Mr Toh believed the request formed part of the delivery process.
Hence, he provided the code, which he received via email earlier, over the phone to the “delivery driver”.
However, minutes later, he noticed that the order had been marked as “delivered” even though no parcel had arrived.
He later contacted Amazon customer support, where he was informed that OTPs should only be provided face-to-face. A police report was also subsequently filed on 30 April.
Screenshot provided by MS News reader
In the weeks that followed, Mr Toh said he experienced multiple missed call-backs from customer service officers. He also allegedly received differing explanations regarding the status of the investigation.
Mr Toh also told MS News that the “delivery driver” had called him using a local number.
Screenshot provided by MS News reader
After calling the number back, he claimed to have heard a voice recording saying “welcome to Amazon Logistics”.
Amazon Singapore also reportedly informed Mr Toh that there was no delivery photo associated with the completed delivery.
On 23 May, Mr Toh said he was informed by an Amazon customer service agent that it was “no longer Amazon’s responsibility” as he had provided the OTP.
Upon hearing this, he demanded to speak to a supervisor whom he said adopted the same stance as the agent.
Beyond the supervisor’s curt behaviour, she allegedly hung up on him.
Mr Toh said his main concern was not just the missing laptop, but whether consumers are aware that sharing an OTP over the phone could “leave them vulnerable”.
“I’m not looking to sensationalise this or prematurely assign blame,” he said. “My concern is whether there is a gap in consumer protection or delivery verification processes that others should be aware of.”
In response to MS News’ queries, Amazon Singapore said they work hard to build a great shopping experience that includes seamless and convenient delivery for customers.
“Customer satisfaction is our top priority, and we’re sorry that the customer experience in this case did not meet the high standards we expect,” said the Amazon Singapore spokesperson.
“We have thoroughly reviewed this case and taken the necessary action to provide a resolution for this customer,” they added.
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Featured image adapted from Amazon Singapore for illustration purposes only.