MUST I opt-in for 2 step verification?
Two days ago I opted out of 2-step verification. Yesterday I tried to access my seller account for 1 hour and kept getting the 2-step verification message. I entered the code and was never let back in -- 7 times I tried. So I called CSR and the 3rd person I talked to unlocked my account.
I just got an email that 2-step is not an option, it is mandatory.
I cannot opt out.
AMZ is the only site I can recall that makes 2-step mandatory. Why?????
20 replies
Seller_LImVvUWeyiCfQ
Yes, it's now mandatory. The announcement came a month ago via Amazon News.
Two-factor authentication will be required for Seller Central sign in
According to Amazon, "This keeps your account safe from fraudulent access attempts."
I would advise to use an Authenticator App for your primary method. I've used one for years and have never had a problem, even after switching phones. Search the forum for the multitude of threads where sellers chose to receive the codes by SMS and have been locked out of their account.
Seller_a1uEWiswwVpNl
I use 2-step verification on pretty much everything. Would highly recommend it.
You can never be sure these days.
But yeah regarding Amazon, sometimes the code delays and it`s not received, so usually I wait for few minutes before re-sending the code and it works.
Seller_y7K2usRrDUAe8
I would highly recommend not only getting used to 2 steps on Amazon but setting it up across all your online accounts.
The reason is that with any data leak that occurs, the risk of your password being "easier" to guess will significantly increase because hackers will have a bigger and bigger pool of info/data to build their password-cracking dictionary (especially BFA is so common these days).
2-steps, for now, is virtually unhackable due to the way how codes are generated (except few instances of social engineering), and it's one of the safest ways to keep any of your online accounts protected.
Echoing @Seller_LImVvUWeyiCfQ's recommendation, using an authentication app is the way to go since text messages can be delayed for w/e reasons with your signal, network quality etc. A few authentication apps I personally use are Google Authenticator, Okta, and Microsoft Authenticator.
Seller_MVXNwwXyKXPSj
why wouldn't you want it ...protect your account much as you can. thats a good thing.
Seller_w6aLwkKdfu3L0
Because Amazon is the largest selling platform for merchants, it's also the one with the most fraud, and many people starting on Amazon also have basic computer literacy, some so basic they can't even tell if an email came from Amazon or not and would follow a link that took them to a site that then compromised their account and systems. Amazon probably saw a rising trend of phishing scams and account deposits being redirected that they felt the most efficient way to prevent it instead of getting hundreds of thousands of inquires and hiring teams to answer them about a problem they can't solve for to force everyone to have a second verification of who you are.
It's fairly common for any banking institution to use a 2nd verification so get use to it.
Seller_11Kkb0r9Z9ElE
One reason for the two-factor verification requirement is because a couple of years ago a few Amazon employees were caught hacking into the Ring cameras, some in young children's rooms. They said the passwords were ridiculously easy to figure out. And that is just the hackers that AZ knew or told about.
In response Az had to update and publish their own security POA. It is harder (but never impossible) to hack in if you have two factor id set up.
Get used to it, until anyone finds a better alternative you will need this for every online account.
Seller_LyYw7fQRKc5G7
Because Amazon is tired of listening to sellers whine about how their accounts got hacked and Amazon has to fix it. Even though the seller getting hacked is due to poor security choices on their part, not Amazon's.
Let's face it, most people are not security conscious. Forcing them to take this into their own hands and protect their own accounts seems a good idea to me. Perhaps we will have less accounts being stolen and money being redirected that way.
Seller_2srXkS44rN39i
the problem is that now its not "every so often" its every couple of days. I access amazon from a phone, tablet and 3 computers (workshop, house and another working computer in the house). I went to check an order on amazon from my tablet, and my phone in the other room pinged with the 2fa when i logged in. Im like: im not getting up, ill deal with this later. I mean if im logging in from a new area or something, but this is my home internet ive been on for over 10 years.