Have You Written A Fake Amazon Review? There Might Be A Lawsuit On The Way

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As we head into the Christmas season, online giant Amazon seeks to protect itself from fake write-ups for the products it sells. A new lawsuit (filed in Seattle, Washington) proves the retailer’s serious stance against those who leave “false, misleading and inauthentic” reviews. For certain, these reviews not only affect Amazon’s reputation, but they also entice consumers to waste money on products that would otherwise languish. Now Amazon has sued over 1,000 people — all referred anonymously (because Amazon doesn’t know who the heck they are) — in a single lawsuit:

Amazon says the 1,114 defendants, termed “John Does” as the company does not yet know their real names, offer a false review service for as little as on the website Fiverr.com, with most promising five-star reviews for a seller’s products.

“While small in number, these reviews can significantly undermine the trust that consumers and the vast majority of sellers and manufacturers place in Amazon, which in turn tarnishes Amazon’s brand,” the technology giant said in its complaint, which was filed on Friday.

This isn’t Amazons first rodeo. In April, the company sued a number of companies offering fraudulent write-ups. Those companies offering up five-star reviews in a “slow-drip” manner, so as to better fool Amazon and its customers.

Here’s the real intrigue — this marks the first time the company has gone after individuals in conjunction with fake reviews. Amazon launched an investigation (using a variety of IP addresses and accounts) and purchased reviews from Fiverr. Now, Amazon didn’t name Fiverr as a defendant, and the company is working with Amazon on this issue. This is pretty sketchy on Fiverr’s part, since they facilitated the fake reviews. Working with Amazon won’t help Fiverr once their paid reviewers get sued into oblivion.

(Via BBC)

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