ONLINE RETAILER AMAZON is set to take more than 1,000 people to court it believes are writing fake reviews on its site.
It is accusing those concerned of offering a service to write reviews on the website Fiverr, which facilitates payment for small services.
Amazon has said that those concerned create “false, misleading, and inauthentic customer reviews for their products on Amazon.com.”
These fake reviews were offered for sale for around $5 (€4.40).
In total Amazon is taking the case against 1,114 defendants.
In its complaint submitted to King county superior court in Seattle, Amazon has said, “While small in number, these reviews threaten to undermine the trust that customers, and the vast majority of sellers and manufacturers place in Amazon, thereby tarnishing Amazon’s brand.”
In the document, Amazon recount how it contacted those involved in providing the fake reviews, including the “CEO and Marketing Specialist” of buyazonreviews.com.
A number of the 5-star reviews are included in the document.
Fiverr is not the target of Amazon’s legal action, and has released a statement saying that it does not dispute the allegations regarding its freelancers.
Selling services like writing bogus reviews is banned under the company’s terms of service.
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