Amazon Sues 1,000 "Fake Reviewers"

Kathryn M. · Oct 18, 2015

I believe this was eventually bound to happen. Especially since the "reviewers" were advertising their services in plain sight on Fiverr:

The Guardian | Amazon sues 1,000 'fake reviewers'

pwarbi · Oct 19, 2015

I'm just surprised this didn't happen a lot sooner to be honest, and like what's said in the OP, fake reviews are one thing but to blatantly advertise the fact that you will hand out bogus reviews for cash payments, is a step too far for anybody.

Something had to be done and in a way I'm glad that Amazon have been strong enough to say they're not putting up with it any longer.

dyanmarie25 · Oct 21, 2015

I wonder why Amazon suddenly decided to sue those fake reviewers now. I mean, fake product reviews are definitely not a new thing to me anymore. I am pretty sure we have all heard about this issue before. But yeah, these fake reviews could totally mislead the customers/consumers. I wish Amazon good luck regarding this case though.

nailah783 · Oct 21, 2015

I'm glad that they are only focusing on Fivr. One of the task sites had me post a review for them for some small pay. I did it too unfortunately. Fivr isn't the only site that pays for this service. I hope they don't go snooping any further.

Apolloniac · Oct 21, 2015

I read about this earlier today and thank goodness Amazon is starting to take action but where were they when I bought a sewing machine for my mother? The reviewer said it worked fine and such but when I got it the internal mechanisms were such a mess. Resending it is a hassle so I had it repaired at my local shop. They should've done this earlier and yeah as stated there are other service companies like Fiverr with users that offer this service-- they really should look into those.

pwarbi · Oct 21, 2015

I think what saw Amazon spring into action is the fact that there is becoming more and more of these reviews, and they're becoming more and more blatant as to how they're advertising their services.

It had to stop somewhere, and maybe Amazon just thought enough was enough. I'm sure they will have consulted with lawyers themselves just to make sure they could prosecute them in the first place, and when they found out they could, the action started.

111kg · Oct 21, 2015

I think that some of the top sellers started to complain about the bad reviews they were getting. I mean, negative reviews are ok when the buyers have a reason to complain, but on the other hand, when they come from you competitors, it's just...unfair and, I think, illegal.

I bet most of these professional reviewers posted their negative posts from the same accounts. It's pretty easy to track them if this is true.

KenBrace · Oct 21, 2015

I really wish those people could get sued. My only question is how on Earth they'll be able to track those people down. It's hard to sue people on the internet who don't have a significant standing. You can't sue an anonymous character.

Pop · Oct 21, 2015

It's not hard to track them down when they sign up to Fiverr using their real name and payment details, and Fiverr is cooperating with the lawsuit probably inn exchange for not being named as a defendant.

No doubt Amazon took their time to set it up just this way. Even so he whole thing rests on the reviewers damaging Amazons business reputation, each of them as individuals. I think that may be where the weak link lies.

harpazo22 · Oct 23, 2015

Something like this is confusing. You would think they'd have things set in place to prevent things like this from happening. Why don't they just figure out a way to filter out thee types of reviews?

Kathryn M. · Oct 26, 2015

Apolloniac said:
where were they when I bought a sewing machine for my mother? The reviewer said it worked fine and such but when I got it the internal mechanisms were such a mess.

This is the reason I never got involved with fake reviews. I have a 14 year old Amazon account in good standing that would be perfect to leave fake reviews with. I remember being approached by someone in the past, but I passed on the offer. The main reason I passed was because I would be knowingly misleading someone into buying something that probably wasn't going to live up to expectations. I didn't want to dupe people in that way. If a product is all that it claims to be, then sellers should have no problem selling it with or without reviews.

azgold · Oct 26, 2015

Amazon had to do something. As I understand FTC rules, they are responsible for their affiliates' claims and any fake testimonials on their site. Not just Amazon, everyone. That's how Frank Kern got in trouble with them. He didn't do anything wrong but two of his affiliates did. He's the one who got into trouble, though.

azgold · Oct 26, 2015

Kathryn M. said:
This is the reason I never got involved with fake reviews. I have a 14 year old Amazon account in good standing that would be perfect to leave fake reviews with. I remember being approached by someone in the past, but I passed on the offer. The main reason I passed was because I would be knowingly misleading someone into buying something that probably wasn't going to live up to expectations. I didn't want to dupe people in that way. If a product is all that it claims to be, then sellers should have no problem selling it with or without reviews.

Good for you! It's not worth risking your reputation for.

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