Amazon sues 1,114 sellers of 'inauthentic' reviews

Amazon is going after 1,114 "John Does" who have allegedly posted "false, misleading, and inauthentic" paid reviews on the site.

In a lawsuit filed Friday in Seattle, the company said the defendants, whose real names they don't yet know, are promising five-star reviews for as little as $5 on the website Fiverr.com. The reviewers are being paid by sellers looking to boost their products, but Amazon said the false reviews are affecting its brand, writing in its complaint: "While small in number, these reviews can significantly undermine the trust that consumers and the vast majority of sellers and manufacturers place in Amazon."

Amazon said that during its investigation, it bought fake customer reviews on Fiverr from people who used several accounts and unique IP addresses to avoid being caught, the BBC reports. Fiverr is not a defendant in the lawsuit, and said it is working with Amazon to put an end to fraudulent reviews.

The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up