Report: Amazon tests integrity of its drivers by using fake packages as traps

midian182

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A hot potato: Employee theft is an issue for many large companies, and each has their own methods of dealing with workers who steal. Amazon, which doesn’t have the best reputation for treating its staff well, reportedly uses a unique approach, one that some people say borders on entrapment.

According to Business Insider, which cites an anonymous former Amazon logistics manager, the company tries to identify drivers who are stealing by randomly placing dummy packages on its delivery trucks.

Whenever an employee scans one of these fake items, an error message will show up on their scanner. The idea behind the scheme is that an honest employee will either check with a supervisor or bring the package back to the warehouse at the end of their shift to identify the problem. But as it isn’t registered on Amazon’s system, a dishonest worker who assumes nobody will notice its absence might decide to steal the package.

These false items often contain something from Amazon’s inventory to add “some weight” and make them appear more appealing to thieves. “It’s meant to be a trap … to check the integrity of the driver,” said the source.

“If you bring the package back, you are innocent. If you don’t, you’re a thug,” Sid Shah, a former manager for DeliverOL, a courier company that delivers packages for Amazon, told Business Insider.

When reached for comment, Amazon said, "Checks and audits are part of overall quality programs and are administered at random."

Earlier this week, it was reported that Amazon employees are allegedly taking bribes for insider data and deletion of product reviews. This followed news that Amazon is using warehouse workers to tweet about how great it is to work for the company. These 'FC Ambassadors' have been responding to tweets criticising Amazon's reportedly poor working conditions.

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“If you bring the package back, you are innocent. If you don’t, you’re a thug,” Sid Shah, a former manager for DeliverOL, a courier company that delivers packages for Amazon, told Business Insider.

If a courier manager doesn't know the difference between a thug and a thief, rest assured there will be a confusion between a diligent and delinquent employee.
 
I thought entrapment was when the government (police) tried to trick you into breaking the law so they could throw you in prison?

Last time I checked Amazon was not the government, and getting fired was no where even close to going to jail. Now if Amazon is not only firing them but also is calling the cops, then these drivers might have a defensible position in court. But until the law is involved, this is not entrapment.
 
I'm more worried about receiving counterfeit goods from Amazon than this
 
The definition of entrapment is:

"the action of tricking someone into committing a crime in order to secure their prosecution."

The general public's continuous lack of ability to start a simple Google search is depressing. This isn't entrapment, this is finding the ***** in the haystack.
 
The definition of entrapment is:

"the action of tricking someone into committing a crime in order to secure their prosecution."

The general public's continuous lack of ability to start a simple Google search is depressing. This isn't entrapment, this is finding the ***** in the haystack.

Ok. I did the simple Google search like you asked and applied logic to what I was looking for.
NOT "ALL" definitions about entrapment are just limited to criminal prosecution of their acts.

From the Merriam-Webster online dictionary:
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/entrapment

entrapment noun (en·trap·ment | \ in-ˈtrap-mənt , en- \)
Definition of Entrapment
1a : the action or process of entrapping
b : the condition of being entrapped
2 : the action of luring an individual into committing a crime in order to prosecute the person for it
3 medical : chronic compression of a peripheral nerve (such as the median nerve) usually between ligamentous and bony surfaces that is marked by pain, numbness, tingling, or weakness

Now clicking on the ENTRAPPING and ENTRAPPED links they have on their webpage in items 1a and 1b to see what their definitions are, we get the following:

entrap verb (en·trap | \ in-ˈtrap , en- \)
entrapped; entrapping; entraps
Definition of Entrap
transitive verb
1 : to catch in or as if in a trap
2 : to lure into a compromising statement or act

So, NOT ALL definitions of entrapment refer to their actions being prosecuted.
Also, the author used the words "borders on entrapment" which is meaning "entrapment like" if you'd prefer, so I think the author should not be "prosecuted" here because someone doesn't like his choice of words.
And kudos for Amazon for using many processes to curb theft. They don't like people stealing from them just like you wouldn't like it if people just came into your home and took things that don't belong to them.
 
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