eBay has reportedly sent Amazon a cease-and-desist letter, following allegations it illegally solicited sellers via its internal messaging system.

According to The Wall Street Journal, an eBay investigation uncovered around 1,000 messages sent to sellers from 50 Amazon employees.

In a published statement, eBay claims it discovered an “unlawful and troubling scheme” by Amazon, to lure independent sellers away from eBay.

“We have demanded that Amazon end its unlawful activity and we will take the appropriate steps, as needed, to protect eBay.”

Amazon has announced it’s conducting a thorough investigation of the claims.

eBay was reportedly informed of the matter after a seller revealed they were contacted by an Amazon employee under ‘false pre-tenses’.

The news extends a privacy saga within Amazon’s internal ranks, just weeks after the e-commerce giant announced it was investigating confidential information leaks.