Now Amazon deletes 20k reviews in fakery storm
SEVEN out of ten of Amazon’s leading UK product reviewers had their contributions deleted over the weekend amid suspicions they were fake.
The decision by the US online retailer to wipe more than 20,000 allegedly bogus reviews comes as it tries to counter claims that Chinese technology firms have been rigging its British site.
The scam involves obscure companies recruiting people via social media to post five- star reviews of often poor quality products, which they receive for free. These reviewfake ers then sell on the products on sites such as eBay.
Industry expert Saoud Khalifah of Fakespot, a website which helps identify bogus ratings, said Amazon UK was particularly vulnerable.
He said: ‘The fact these “hall of fame” reviewers have had the reviews wiped tell us that the whole Amazon UK review system is in chaos and people can have no trust in it.
‘This faking of reviews is so blatant and obvious that Amazon should have done this long ago.’
Mr Khalifah added: ‘These fake reviews get solicited on Facebook groups, WhatsApp groups and the like. They are usually initiated by Chinese-based sellers.
‘We’ve been monitoring review trustworthiness since 2015 and Amazon.co.uk has always been neglected compared with Amazon USA.
‘It always had a preponderance of reviews in comparison and was much simpler to manipulate.’
The Daily Mail told on Saturday how Amazon UK’s most prolific reviewer, a failed auction firm director, was making thousands selling on products he recommended to shoppers. Many were made by obscure Chinese tech firms.
Justin Fryer, from Cobham, Surrey, reviewed £15,000 of products in August alone, from smartphones to electric scooters to gym equipment, giving his five-star approval on average once every four hours.
There is evidence Mr Fryer sold many of the goods he reviewed on eBay, making nearly £20,000 since June. His profile on the Amazon website listed him as the UK’s No 1 reviewer with 1,933 ratings. These have now disappeared.
Mr Fryer denied any wrongdoing and said the accusation he was receiving free products in return for positive ratings was false, claiming he paid for the ‘large majority’.
Consumer group Which? said there was a real risk Amazon shoppers were being misled because shoddy products are being boosted by fake reviews.
It estimates that online reviews influence £23billion of spending a year in the UK.
The Competition & Markets Authority has launched an inquiry into online reviews and whether Amazon, Facebook and others are doing enough to ensure they are genuine.
Amazon said: ‘We want Amazon customers to shop with confidence knowing that the reviews they read are authentic and relevant.
‘We continue to monitor all existing reviews for signs of abuse and quickly take action if we find an issue. We are relentless in our efforts to protect the integrity of customer reviews.’