Amazon sues two influencers for 'using the site to sell counterfeit Gucci belts, Dior bags, Chanel earrings and other fake luxury items they flaunted on Instagram and TikTok'
A pair of social media influencers allegedly conspired to sell counterfeit Gucci belts, Dior bags and other fake luxury products on Amazon using ‘hidden links’, a new lawsuit filed by the online retailer claims.
The two women, identified as Kelly Fitzpatrick, of Long Island, New York, and Sabrina Kelly-Krejci, of Beloit, Wisconsin, have been accused by Amazon of using their Instagram, Facebook and TikTok accounts, along with their personal websites, to facilitate the sale of knock-off goods.
The lawsuit, which was filed in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington on Thursday, also identifies 11 individuals and businesses based in the US and China who reportedly listed the counterfeit items for sale on Amazon.com.
‘Together, they engaged in a sophisticated campaign of false advertising for the purpose of evading Amazon’s counterfeit detection tools,’ Amazon stated in their complaint.
The two women, identified as Kelly Fitzpatrick , of Long Island, New York, and Sabrina Kelly-Krejci , of Beloit, Wisconsin, have been accused by Amazon of using their Instagram, Facebook and TikTok accounts, along with their personal websites, to facilitate the sale of knock-off goods on the site
Fitzpatrick and Kelly-Krejci reportedly promoted the items on their pages as ‘designer dupes’, informing their followers they could use ‘hidden links’ to buy the items through Amazon’s marketplace without the online retailer detecting the scam (a fake Gucci belt allegedly advertised by Fitzpatrick is shown above)
The purported scheme allegedly began last November, the company said, whereby both the sellers and influencers fueled purchases of counterfeit purses, belts and wallets which were all falsely branded to resemble products made by the likes of Gucci and Louis Vuitton.
Fitzpatrick and Kelly-Krejci reportedly promoted the items on their pages as ‘designer dupes’, informing their followers they could use ‘hidden links’ to buy the items through Amazon’s marketplace without the retailer knowing.
The scheme allegedly involved Fitzpatrick and Kelly-Krejci posting side-by-side photos of generic, non-branded products next to an image of luxury counterfeit product.
The generic product, which was being falsely advertised on Amazon, was labelled as ‘Order this’, while the counterfeit product would be labelled as ‘Get this’.
Those who then ordered the generic item would later receive the luxury counterfeit instead, Amazon said.
In one example highlighted in the suit, on her website StyleeandGrace.com, Fitzpatrick allegedly directed buyers to a link promoting a generic $30 black leather wallet, explaining to prospective buyers that if they purchased it they’d actually instead receive a counterfeit version of Gucci’s $650 Disney zip wallet.
‘You order a certain product that looks nothing like the designer dupe in order to hide the item from getting taken down and orders being cancelled,’ she allegedly explained on her website.
Kelly-Krejci also directed followers to use the ‘disguised’ links, the suit claims, writing in a post to her website BudgetStyleFiles.com she knew ‘some people feel weird ordering from hidden links but in this case you will get something fabulous.’
A fake Dior bag is shown above that was advertised on StyleeandGrace.com
Along with the review, an accompanying review explained what a hidden link was and how it works
This scheme involved Fitzpatrick and Kelly-Krejci posting side-by-side photos of generic, non-branded products next to a luxury counterfeit product
Kelly-Krejci also directed followers to use the ‘disguised’ links, the suit claims, writing in a post to her website BudgetStleFiles.com she knew ‘some people feel weird ordering from hidden links but in this case you will get something fabulous'
Both of the women reviewed and uploaded pictures of the fake products, reportedly blurring images and any misspellings to avoid detection, Amazon alleged.
‘As a result of their illegal actions, Defendants have wilfully deceived and harmed Amazon and its customers, compromised the integrity of the Amazon store, and undermined the trust that customers place in Amazon,’ the company wrote in its complaint.
The company said it confirmed the products were counterfeit by purchasing a number of them from the links advertised, before taking down the listed sellers' accounts.
As recently as Wednesday evening, both Fitzpatrick and Kelly-Krejci were still sharing ‘hidden links’ to Amazon products via newly created Instagram accounts, according to CNBC.
Their original accounts have since been deleted. A private account named styleeandgracee11, which links back to Fitzpatrick’s website, has just over 4,000 followers. The same username also has a private TikTok account.
Fitzpatrick's website styleeandgrace.com is currently ‘under maintenance’ and is no longer accessible. Kelly-Krejci's website is also down.
Fitzpatrick's Amazon account is however viewable still. One image on the page shows her posing in a mirror, wearing a black bag with a Gucci logo on her hip, a Louis Vuitton emblazoned phone case and a headband, with a green and red stripes and a golden bee in the middle.
The post includes a link to purchase the headband - which closely resembles Gucci's branding - but it is no longer available to purchase on Amazon.
Fitzpatrick has still be linking to fake designer products on other websites, such as LikeToKnow.it (seen right), including likes to fake Chanel earrings for $15
Fitzpatrick also still has an active Linktree account, providing followers links to purchase items such as fake gold Chanel earrings and a fake Gucci bag, both of which were being sold on Etsy but have since been removed
More fake designer goods advertised by StyleandGrace on LikeToKnowIt are pictured above
Fitzpatrick also still has an active Linktree account, providing followers links to purchase items such as fake gold Chanel earrings and a fake Gucci bag, both of which were being sold on Etsy but have since been removed.
The black bag, resembling the one Fitzpatrick is seen wearing in her Amazon post, was said to be from a 'trusted seller' and listed for $90. She also wrote that buyers could get $10 off the bag by using 'Code KELLY'.
Similarly, an account belonging to StyleeandGrace on LikeToKnow.It, is also advertising counterfeit goods. As recently as yesterday, the account posted a link to an Etsy seller hawkfing fake Chanel and Louis Vuitton headbands for $12.
‘Together, they engaged in a sophisticated campaign of false advertising for the purpose of evading Amazon’s counterfeit detection tools,’ Amazon stated in their complaint
Attempts to reach Fitzpatrick and Kelly-Krejci for comment have so far been unsuccessful.
In a statement, Cristina Posa, Associate General Counsel and Director, Amazon Counterfeit Crimes Unit, said: '‘These defendants were brazen about promoting counterfeits on social media and undermined the work of legitimate influencers.
‘This case demonstrates the need for cross-industry collaboration in order to drive counterfeiters out of business,' Posa continued. 'Amazon continues to invest tremendous resources to stop bad actors before they enter our store and social media sites must similarly vet, monitor, and take action on bad actors that are using their services to facilitate illegal behavior.’
Fitzpatrick was previously a member of the Amazon Associates program, the company said, which allows members to advertise and link to Amazon products in exchange for a percentage of the sales. However she was removed from the scheme when Amazon discovered she was advertising counterfeits, the company said.
Amazon has not revealed further details about how the influencers allegedly connected with the third-party sellers in the first place. Posa said an investigation into the matter is still ongoing.
In their suit, Amazon is seeking unspecified damages from Fitzpatrick, Kelly-Krejci, and the alleged sellers and businesses.
The company is also seeking an injunction against the influencers and sellers that would ban them from selling or promoting any future products sold on Amazon.