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
Textron Aviation Marks 500th Cessna Citation Latitude Rollout22.9.2026 17:19:00 EEST | Press release
Textron Aviation Inc., a Textron Inc. (NYSE:TXT) company, today announced the rollout of the 500th Cessna Citation Latitude business jet from the company’s Wichita, Kansas, manufacturing facility. The production milestone highlights the continued success of the world’s best-selling midsize business jet and recognizes the employees whose craftsmanship and dedication have helped make the Citation Latitude the trusted choice for operators around the world. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260922867287/en/ Textron Aviation marks 500th Cessna Citation Latitude rollout. (Photo Credit: Textron Aviation) “The rollout of the 500th Citation Latitude is a testament to the employees who build this aircraft with dedication and pride every day,” said Eric Cardinali, senior vice president, Manufacturing. “Behind every aircraft is a team committed to delivering the quality and craftsmanship our customers expect. This milestone
OCP Announces Date of Second Quarter and First Half 2026 Earnings22.9.2026 17:00:00 EEST | Press release
OCP S.A. (“OCP” or the “Company”), a global leader in the fertilizer industry, will release its second quarter and first half 2026 results on Tuesday, September 29, 2026. The results will be available to holders of the Company’s bonds, qualified institutional buyers, securities analysts and market makers on the OCP Intralinks portal from 10:00 a.m. EDT, 2:00 p.m. Morocco (GMT) and 3:00 p.m. London time (GMT+1). OCP senior management will host a conference call to discuss second quarter and first half 2026 results at 11:00 a.m. EDT, 3:00 p.m. Morocco (GMT) and 4:00 p.m. London time (GMT+1) on Tuesday, September 29, 2026, for holders of the Company’s bonds, qualified institutional buyers, securities analysts and market makers. Eligible parties that have not already registered for access to the Intralinks portal may do so by contacting the Investor Relations Department by emailing g.laraki@ocpgroup.ma. About OCP OCP is a global leader in the fertilizer industry, backed by almost a century
Takeda Highlights Late-Stage Oncology Pipeline Progress and Solid Tumor Portfolio Research, Led by Late-Breaking Phase 3 Arcotatug Tavatecan (TAK-921) Data, at ESMO 202622.9.2026 16:30:00 EEST | Press release
Takeda(TSE:4502/NYSE:TAK)announced that new data from its oncology pipeline and portfolio will be presented at the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) Congress, taking place October 23-27, 2026, in Madrid, Spain. Key data will include a late-breaking abstract on arcotatug tavatecan (TAK-921; Innovent R&D code: IBI343*) and two presentations on TAK-928 (Innovent R&D code: IBI363*). Clinical and real-world analyses of ALUNBRIG® (brigatinib) and FRUZAQLA® (fruquintinib) will also be shared at the congress. “Takeda’s data at ESMO reflect our commitment to delivering rapid progress for patients living with some of the most prevalent and challenging cancers, including advanced gastric cancer and immunotherapy-resistant and previously untreated non-small cell lung cancer,” said Phuong Khanh (P.K.) Morrow, M.D., Head of the Oncology Therapeutic Area Unit at Takeda. “Our mission is to advance new therapeutic approaches for patients who need more options or who remain underserved by cur
Quaise Energy Selected for Up to $25 Million in U.S. Department of Energy Support to Advance World's First Commercial Superhot Geothermal Power Plant22.9.2026 16:30:00 EEST | Press release
Quaise Energy, a leading developer of utility-scale superhot geothermal energy, today announced that it has been selected by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) for up to $25 million in funding under the Next-Generation Geothermal Field Tests and Geothermal Resource Characterization and Confirmation funding opportunity. The support brings the U.S. closer to commercializing superhot Enhanced Geothermal Systems — technology that could unlock firm, clean power from hot rock beneath virtually any geography in the country. The funding will advance Project Obsidian, the world's first commercial superhot geothermal power plant, in Central Oregon. It will support analysis of the drilling, stimulation, and flow results of the first two wells to optimize a third well at the Obsidian site. The three-well configuration is targeting average reservoir temperatures of over 300°C and is designed to demonstrate more than 25 megawatts of gross electric power capacity. The DOE funding will also enable Qu
From CSR to Public Health Impact: How Colgate Bright Smiles, Bright Futures® is Driving Behavior Change for the Next Billion Children and Their Families22.9.2026 16:00:00 EEST | Press release
Colgate-Palmolive, the worldwide leader in oral care, announced a strategic evolution in its flagship oral health education program, Colgate Bright Smiles, Bright Futures® (BSBF), reflecting the Company’s commitment to global public health. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260922129016/en/ Launched in 1991, the program has reached over two billion children and their families across more than 100 countries, demonstrating how private-sector commitment designed to support communities, can become a powerful force for public health, driving healthier behaviors and positive outcomes at scale. From health education curriculum and school programming to mobile dental vans and free oral health screenings, BSBF helps children and their families access care, adopt healthier habits, and improve long-term oral health outcomes. “At Colgate-Palmolive, we believe oral health and healthier, brighter futures are inextricably link
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