Amazon Targets Fake Review Fraudsters on Social Media
19.7.2022 07:00:00 EEST | Business Wire | Press release
Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN) today filed legal action against the administrators of more than 10,000 Facebook groups that attempt to orchestrate fake reviews on Amazon in exchange for money or free products. These groups are set up to recruit individuals willing to post incentivized and misleading reviews on Amazon’s stores in the U.S., the UK, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, and Japan.
Amazon will use information discovered in this legal action to identify bad actors and remove fake reviews commissioned by these fraudsters that haven’t already been detected by Amazon’s advanced technology, expert investigators, and continuous monitoring.
“Our teams stop millions of suspicious reviews before they’re ever seen by customers, and this lawsuit goes a step further to uncover perpetrators operating on social media,” said Dharmesh Mehta, Amazon’s vice president of Selling Partner Services. “Proactive legal action targeting bad actors is one of many ways we protect customers by holding bad actors accountable.”
The fraudsters behind such groups solicit fake reviews for hundreds of products available for sale on Amazon, including car stereos and camera tripods. One of the groups identified in the lawsuit is “Amazon Product Review,” which had more than 43,000 members until Meta took down the group earlier this year. Amazon’s investigations revealed that the group’s administrators attempted to hide their activity and evade Facebook’s detection, in part by obfuscating letters from problematic phrases.
Amazon strictly prohibits fake reviews and has more than 12,000 employees around the world dedicated to protecting its stores from fraud and abuse, including fake reviews. A dedicated team investigates fake review schemes on social media sites, including Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter, and regularly reports the abusive groups to those companies. Since 2020, Amazon has reported more than 10,000 fake review groups to Meta. Of these, Meta has taken down more than half of the groups for policy violations and continues to investigate others.
Amazon was a pioneer of product reviews, having introduced them in 1995 to help customers make more informed shopping decisions. The company aims to ensure every review that appears in its stores is trustworthy and reflects an actual customer experience. Amazon’s expert investigators use industry-leading tools to detect and block fake reviews. As a result, Amazon proactively stopped more than 200 million suspected fake reviews in 2020 alone.
Today’s legal action is the latest step by Amazon aimed at stopping fraudsters who attempt to post fake reviews in Amazon’s stores. In the past year, legal action from Amazon has shut down multiple major review brokers targeting customers in the U.S., the UK, Germany, France, Italy, and Spain.
However, the nefarious business of brokering fake reviews remains an industry-wide problem, and civil litigation is only one step. Permanently ridding fake reviews across retail, travel, and other sectors will require greater public-private partnership, including collaboration between the affected companies, social media sites, and law enforcement, all focused on a goal of greater consumer protection. Amazon remains eager to continue to partner with all the relevant stakeholders to achieve that mutual goal.
About Amazon
Amazon is guided by four principles: customer obsession rather than competitor focus, passion for invention, commitment to operational excellence, and long-term thinking. Amazon strives to be Earth’s Most Customer-Centric Company, Earth’s Best Employer, and Earth’s Safest Place to Work. Customer reviews, 1-Click shopping, personalized recommendations, Prime, Fulfillment by Amazon, AWS, Kindle Direct Publishing, Kindle, Career Choice, Fire tablets, Fire TV, Amazon Echo, Alexa, Just Walk Out technology, Amazon Studios, and The Climate Pledge are some of the things pioneered by Amazon. For more information, visit amazon.com/about and follow @AmazonNews.
To view this piece of content from cts.businesswire.com, please give your consent at the top of this page.
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220718005747/en/
Contact information
Amazon.com, Inc.
Media Hotline
Amazon-pr@amazon.com
www.amazon.com/pr
About Business Wire
For more than 50 years, Business Wire has been the global leader in press release distribution and regulatory disclosure.
Subscribe to releases from Business Wire
Subscribe to all the latest releases from Business Wire by registering your e-mail address below. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Latest releases from Business Wire
Incyte to Highlight Late-Breaking Hidradenitis Suppurativa Data at the 2026 American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) Annual Meeting20.3.2026 16:00:00 EET | Press release
Incyte (Nasdaq:INCY) today announced that data from key programs in its Inflammation and Autoimmunity (IAI) franchise will be presented at the 2026 American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) Annual Meeting, to be held March 27 – 31, 2026, in Denver. “At AAD 2026, we are presenting late‑breaking 54-week results from the Phase 3 STOP‑HS program evaluating povorcitinib in hidradenitis suppurativa (HS),” said Jim Lee, M.D., Ph.D., Group Vice President, Inflammation and Autoimmunity, Incyte. “These data provide longer term evidence of the safety and efficacy of povorcitinib in HS patients and further strengthen the significant growth potential of our Inflammation and Autoimmunity franchise.” Details on key data presentations at AAD include: Late-Breaking Oral Presentations Hidradenitis Suppurativa Povorcitinib in Patients With Moderate to Severe Hidradenitis Suppurativa: 54-Week Efficacy and Safety Results From the STOP-HS1 & STOP-HS2 Phase 3 Studies (Session: S034 – Late-Breaking Research: Sess
MUSASHI JAPAN by TAIMATSU Launches “Road to Shogun” – A Journey Through Craftsmanship and Discovery20.3.2026 14:58:00 EET | Press release
Musashi Japan by TAIMATSU Co., Ltd., a contemporary Japanese knife brand rooted in the spirit of craftsmanship and cultural harmony, has announced its newest experiential campaign: “Road to Shogun.” This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260320887471/en/ Designed as the brand’s most ambitious customer journey to date, the campaign invites visitors to explore participating Musashi Japan stores while discovering the traditions, culture and craftsmanship that inspire the brand. Inspired by the journey towards mastery, the experience encourages participants to progress through a series of ranks whilst visiting stores and unlocking rewards that celebrate elements of everyday Japanese culture. At Musashi Japan, craftsmanship is not only about the final product, but also about the path taken to achieve mastery. The Road to Shogun reflects this philosophy by guiding customers through a journey that mirrors the dedication, cu
Futur Delivers Strong Growth and Record Profit in 202520.3.2026 13:05:00 EET | Press release
"2025 was a record year for Futur. In a market characterized by sharp market fluctuations, Futur continued to invest, grow and deliver strong results. Behind this record performance is stable customer growth, strong inflows and cost discipline. Our close cooperation with over 60 partners gives customers the freedom to choose the asset management and advisory services that best suit them. The strategy of letting the customer choose is appreciated, which is reflected in us welcoming more than 21,000 new customers during the year", says Torgny Johansson, CEO of Futur. "We are optimistic about the future. Futur has great opportunities to continue growing in the coming years by developing innovative and efficient services for savings and pensions. I am proud of how all employees have purposefully embraced our strategy and continue to work towards the goal of reaching 500 billion kronor in savings capital with the current organization", concludes Torgny Johansson, CEO of Futur. Key highlight
Lyten to Establish a Lyten Industrial Hub in Poland20.3.2026 13:00:00 EET | Press release
Lyten, the supermaterial applications company and global leader in an energy storage, has announced its interest in establishing a Lyten Industrial Hub in Poland. In 2026, Lyten will conduct a feasibility study to assess manufacturing requirements for Lyten products, potential private and public partnerships, and the necessary energy and utility infrastructure. The industrial hub will be built around Lyten Dwa – the energy storage production plant and R&D center in Gdańsk. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260320045026/en/ Lyten Voltpack Mobile System in front of Lyten Dwa plant in Gdansk, Poland In February 2026, Lyten announced the establishment of its first Industrial Hub in Skellefteå, Sweden, on the site of the former Northvolt Ett plant, which it recently acquired. It will combine battery production with a data center with a capacity of up to 1 GW, being built by EdgeConneX. Once it reaches full production
PUMA Reveals Its Most Powerful International Football Kit Lineup yet on the Streets of New York City20.3.2026 09:00:00 EET | Press release
Global sports company PUMA unveiled its new national team kits for 11 nations with a street-level event at Domino Square in New York City, that placed football, music, food, and culture at the center stage in a celebration of the game. Rather than launching in a stadium setting or in a cinematic brand film, PUMA chose to reveal the kits in play, worn first by local community players from each nation on the streets of New York. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260320641449/en/ Reinforcing its status as a leading force in football kits at this summer’s competition, PUMA unveiled jerseys for 11 nations, including the most prominent African partner federations of any brand in the tournament, in a community-first celebration of football, music, and culture in New York City. Four continents are united under 11 nations: Portugal, Morocco, Ghana, Paraguay, Senegal, Côte d’Ivoire, Czech Republic, Switzerland, New Zealan
In our pressroom you can read all our latest releases, find our press contacts, images, documents and other relevant information about us.
Visit our pressroom