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Amazon only removing a fraction of ‘fake’ reviews, Which? claims



Amazon is only removing a fraction of fake and suspicious product reviews, according to Which?. The consumer watchdog found 78,000 reviews for popular technology products for sale on Amazon had been removed over the last three years but said this was not “nearly enough” to tackle the problem.

Data from review checker ReviewMeta showed that the percentage of unverified reviews soared from 6 per cent in the first quarter of 2018 to 31 per cent this year.

In March, the number of unverified reviews on Amazon rose nearly fourfold compared to the February. Average star ratings of unverified reviews were 4.95 out of five, meaning shoppers are potentially being misled into buying poor-quality products by overly positive fake testimonials, Which? said.

Unverified reviews are those that Amazon cannot confirm whether the reviewer has actually bought the product.

Amazon said the Which? investigation was flawed and its findings were inaccurate.

Amazon has recently removed a large number of suspect reviews and products but Which? found that more had taken their place, suggesting that the retailer was “struggling to stem the tide of fake reviews”.

An investigation published earlier this month found the vast majority of 12,000 reviews for the headphones category on a single day were from unverified purchasers or had a suspiciously high proportion of five-star ratings.

It also found “tens of thousands” of potentially fake reviews on around 20 products.

The consumer group analysed the listings of hundreds of popular tech products across 14 different categories including headphones, cameras, fitness trackers and smart watches.

It found that many of the top-rated items in each category were from little-known brands. In some cases, hundreds of five-star, unverified reviews were appearing on products in a single day.

The analysis also found evidence of duplicated reviews, as well as positive reviews for unrelated products such as soap dispensers, suggesting they may be automated. 

Natalie Hitchins, Which? head of home products and services, said: “Our research shows that while thousands of potentially fake reviews are being removed from Amazon each month, this isn’t nearly enough to address a real problem for online shoppers that seems to be getting worse, not better.

“To avoid being tricked into buying a product that you might otherwise have avoided, watch out for fake reviews and search for independent and trusted sources when looking to make a purchase.”

An Amazon spokesperson said the retailer used teams of investigators and automated technology to prevent and remove suspect reviews.

They said: “Amazon invests significant resources to protect the integrity of reviews in our store because we know customers value the insights and experiences shared by fellow shoppers. We have clear participation guidelines for both reviewers and selling partners and we suspend, ban, and take legal action on those who violate our policies.” 

The company said its own customer history data disproved with “high confidence“ many of the reviews flagged by ReviewMeta as “unnatural”.



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