Amazon receives thousands of fake customer reviews, report alleges
Amazon’s customer review system has been flooded with fake five-star reviews for tech products from mostly unknown brands, a new report claims.
The British consumer company Which? analyzed hundreds of technology products from 14 different categories -- including headphones, cameras and smartwatches -- finding tens of thousands of glowing five-star consumer reviews, all from unverified purchasers, a telltale sign of “fake” reviews.
Researchers found that unfamiliar products dominated search results for popular technology and often included hundreds of unverified reviews, meaning there is no evidence the reviewer ever actually bought or used the product.
The study found, within hours, more than 10,000 unverified reviews for 24 pairs of headphones, all from unfamiliar brands. Close to 87 percent of the reviews were unverified, while 71 percent of products on the first page had a perfect five-star score. One brand, called Celebrat, had 439 reviews -- all five-star, all unverified and all arrived on the same day, according to Which?.
“This sort of activity often involved duplication or repetition of reviews,” the study said. “We even found instances of positive reviews for entirely different products appearing on a listing.”
Likewise, Which? discovered that unknown brands of smart watches, compact cameras, dash cams and fitness trackers also had perfect ratings and a number of unverified reviews, “many of which showed the same suspicious activity.”
In response to the study, a spokesperson for Amazon said the company invest “significant resources” in protecting the sanctity of its reviews. The e-commerce behemoth relies on a team of investigators as well as automated technology to prevent and detect fake reviews.
“Even one inauthentic review is one too many,” the spokesperson told FOX Business. “We have clear participation guidelines for both reviewers and selling partners and we suspend, ban, and take legal action on those who violate our policies.”
In the U.S., the Federal Trade Commission has begin to crackdown on fake reviews; in late February, the FTC settled its first groundbreaking case against an online company for using fake, paid ads to sell weight-loss pills on Amazon, resulting in a $12.8 million fine.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX BUSINESS APP
“People rely on reviews when they’re shopping online,” Andrew Smith, director of the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection, said in a statement. “When a company buys fake reviews to inflate its Amazon ratings, it hurts both shoppers and companies that play by the rules.”
