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Amazon targets 1,114 bogus reviewers' in Seattle court case |
Amazon targets 1,114 bogus reviewers' in Seattle court case
Amazon
is taking legal action against more than 1,000 people it says have posted fake
reviews on its website.
The
US online retail huge has filed a court case in Seattle, Washington.
It
says its product reputation is being spoiled by "false, deceptive and
inauthentic" reviews paid for by sellers looking for to improve the appeal
of their products.
It
comes after Amazon sued a figure of websites in April for advertising
fake reviews.
Amazon
says the 1,114 defendants, termed "John Does" as the company does not
yet be familiar with their real names, offer a false review service for as
little as $5 (£3.24) on the website Fiverr.com, with most talented 5-star
reviews for a seller's products.
"While
small in number, these reviews can considerably undermine the trust that customers
and the vast majority of sellers and manufacturers place in Amazon, which in
turn tarnishes Amazon's product," the technology giant said in its protest,
which was filed on Friday.
Amazon
said it had conducted an examination, which included purchasing fake customer
reviews on Fiverr from people who promised 5-star ratings and offered to allow
purchasers to write reviews.
It
said it had observed fake review sellers attempting to keep away from detection
by using multiple accounts from unique IP address.
Amazon
said the lawsuit was not targeting Fiverr, which is not a defendant in the
complaint. Fiverr said it was working with Amazon to resolve the subject.
"Amazon
is bringing this action to defend its customers from this bad behavior, by
stopping defendants and uprooting the bionetwork in which they contribute,"
the lawsuit says.
Anyone,
whether they are a client or not, has the ability to review products sold on
Amazon's online store, but the policy of the site prohibit paid-for or imaginary
reviews.