Amazon is requiring sellers to verify their emergency contact number through a one-time password. It used the acronyms ECN and OTP in its announcement on Thursday, informing sellers that it was initiating the new ECN verification beginning the previous week (January 24th).
Sellers are routinely targeted by scammers through phone, text, and email, so don’t give private information to humans – always log in to your Amazon account (without clicking on links in texts or emails). Amazon advised sellers in its board post: “Visit your Seller Central Notification Preferences to verify your ECN.”
Amazon said the “quick verification” would only be used for critical account-related communications and was crucial for the following three reasons:
- Maintaining your eligibility in the Account Health Assurance program
- Receiving timely support from Account Health Specialists
- Protecting your business from potential account disruptions
Some sellers asked why Amazon waited a week before posting the announcement (“Starting January 24th. Posted January 30th. Typical Amazon efficiency,” one seller wrote).
Another seller asked a pertinent question: How do you verify when the work number is a landline?