June 27, 2023
Amazon targets the source of fake reviews with new lawsuits
In June 2023, Amazon filed four new lawsuits against fraudsters attempting to mislead Amazon customers and harm Amazon selling partners by facilitating fake reviews. Fake reviews are primarily being driven by the emergence of an illicit "fake review broker" industry. These brokers approach customers directly through websites, social media channels, and encrypted messaging services, soliciting them to write fake reviews in exchange for money, free products, or other incentives.
Amazon invests significant resources, including machine learning models and expert investigators, to proactively stop fake reviews before being seen by a customer. As a result, Amazon proactively blocked over 200 million suspected fake reviews from our stores in 2022. The lawsuits outlined here are part of an ongoing effort to stop fake reviews at the source by targeting the fraudsters facilitating the reviews and holding them accountable.
- Amazon v. Nice Discount: The owners and operators of Nice Discount facilitate fake positive reviews, fake feedback, and other fake content through their "Product Tester Club." Reviewers who sign up are incentivized to write fake positive reviews or fake feedback in exchange for product refunds or cash. The defendants connect bad actors operating Amazon selling accounts with reviewers, and instruct reviewers on how and when to leave fake reviews or feedback in order to create a false, authentic appearance. Case No. 23-2-10603-2 SEA
- Amazon v. Littlesmm: The website Littlesmm sells fake reviews to bad actors operating Amazon selling accounts. The website offers packages of fake reviews in Amazon stores across Australia, Canada, and the U.S., ranging from $20 to $440. The defendants use Amazon customer accounts in their control to leave fake positive reviews. They also offer fake negative reviews to undermine their competitors' product listing pages. Case No. 23-2-10452-8 SEA
- Amazon v. MangoCity: The owners and operators of MangoCity sell fake reviews ranging from $50 to $4,000 through their website, video chats, and email. After payment, the defendants use Amazon customer accounts in their control to leave fake 5-star reviews on product listing pages. In addition, the defendants offer fake negative reviews that they post on competitors' products. Case No. 23-2-11278-4 SEA
- Amazon v. Reddit Marketing Pro: The owners and operators of Reddit Marketing Pro offer fake positive and negative reviews and other fraudulent services to bad actors operating Amazon selling accounts. In exchange for fees, ranging from $99 for five fake reviews to $6,999 for 500 fake reviews, defendants use Amazon customer accounts that they control to leave fake reviews on product listing pages in Amazon stores. Defendants also sell fake "Questions and Answers" to manipulate the content on product listing pages. Case No. 23-2-11265-2 SEA
"Our goal is to ensure that every review in Amazon's stores is trustworthy and reflects customers' actual experiences. Amazon welcomes authentic reviews-whether positive or negative -but strictly prohibits fake reviews that intentionally mislead customers," said David Montague, Amazon's vice president of Selling Partner Risk. "We continue to innovate on our proactive technology to detect fake reviews and other indications of unusual behavior. Another way we fight fake reviews is through legal action. Not only are we targeting the source of the problem but we're sending a clear message that there's no place for abuse in our store and we will hold fraudsters accountable."
Amazon pioneered online customer reviews 25 years ago, and we are committed to ensuring our reviews remain a trustworthy, insightful resource for customers. Amazon will continue to protect our stores from fake reviews by investing in proactive tools to detect and stop fake reviews from appearing in our stores, and we will continue holding fraudsters accountable to protect our customers and selling partners.
Amazon is aggressively fighting fake review brokers. As of the end of May 2023, we have taken legal action against 94 fraudsters across the U.S., China, and Europe. However, fake reviews are a global problem across multiple industries and the public and private sector must work together to stop fake review brokers for good.
Read more about Amazon's blueprint for private and public sector partnership to stop fake reviews.
March 2, 2023
Amazon continues to take action against fake review brokers
In February 2023, Amazon filed lawsuits against six defendants in new legal efforts to protect its customers and selling partners by stopping fake review brokers. In each lawsuit outlined below, the defendants sell fake review services to bad actors attempting to operate Amazon selling accounts. These fraudsters commit fraud by selling fake reviews, intentionally facilitate activities intended to deceive customers, and attempt to provide unfair competitive advantages over honest sellers in Amazon's store.
Read more about the lawsuits.
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Amazon.com Inc. published this content on 28 June 2023 and is solely responsible for the information contained therein. Distributed by Public, unedited and unaltered, on 28 June 2023 16:10:12 UTC.
