Online retail giant Amazon is reportedly taking legal action against 1114 people selling fake reviews of products on its website.
The writing of fake reviews is apparently offered as a service on website Fiverr.com, for as little as $5 per review.
According to the BBC, the lawsuit filed by Amazon said its brand reputation is being damaged by these fake reviews.
“While small in number, these reviews can significantly undermine the trust that consumers and the vast majority of sellers and manufacturers place in Amazon, which in turn tarnishes Amazon’s brand,” the lawsuit allegedly said.
However, according to US publication Bloomberg, the technology giant isn’t targeting Fiverr, which is where the fake review service is offered, rather it is taking action against the 1114 “John Does” who offer the service. Fiverr is apparently working with Amazon to rectify the issue.
“We continue to use a number of mechanisms to detect and remove the small fraction of reviews that violate our guidelines,” Julie Law, a spokeswoman for Amazon, is reported saying on Bloomberg. “We are currently taking legal action against a number of individuals including many that are referred to here.”
Back in April, Amazon also put forward legal action against four companies that paid people to create reviews and post them to the Amazon site.
