Users who posted false or misleading product reviews on Amazon in exchange for payment may soon regret doing so, as the online retailer is reportedly planning filed lawsuits and claiming that such posts have damaged its brand.
According to BBC News and The Telegraph, Amazon filed papers in a Seattle-based courtroom accusing 1,114 not-yet-identified “John Does” of tarnishing its reputation by offering to provide “false, misleading and inauthentic” reviews of products in exchanges for compensation.
The fake reviews are part of a scam in which Amazon users provide glowing five-star reviews in exchange for payments of as little as $5. The lawsuit is specifically targeting individuals who had been offering their services on the website Fiverr.com and follows a similar lawsuit the company filed back in April against several websites which paid users for reviews.
In a complaint filed on Friday, Amazon wrote that even though these paid reviews were “small in number”, they could “significantly undermine the trust that consumers and the vast majority of sellers and manufacturers place in Amazon, which in turn tarnishes Amazon’s brand.”
Will the lawsuit even do anything?
Amazon, who emphasized that it was working with Fiverr and would not be targeting the website in its lawsuit, said that its internal investigation found that clients had purchased fake reviews on the marketplace from people who promised five-star ratings. The company added that it observed fake review sellers using multiple accounts and IP addresses to try and avoid detection.
In its lawsuit, Amazon said that it was “bringing this action to protect its customers from this misconduct, by stopping defendants and uprooting the ecosystem in which they participate.” In a similar move, TripAdvisor told The Telegraph that it would also pursue legal action in order to shut down fake review providers and solicitors, and to expose those engaging in the practice.
Robert Taraschi, CEO of the consulting firm Milestone Ideas, told the Boston Herald that while the lawsuit would shine a light on the buying and selling of fake reviews, he did not believe that it would effectively stop the process from taking place. While Taraschi said he believed it would be “good that there’s a lawsuit”, he didn’t believe that this activity could be prevented.
Jon Hurst of the Retailers Association of Massachusetts, added that the lawsuit would prove to be “an interesting test,” but that it was ultimately up to Amazon to get better at detecting phony reviews. “I think it falls into the lap of those that actually host these review sites doing a better job at looking for these paid campaigns and policing better,” he told the Herald.
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Feature Image: Thinkstock
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