Amazon has filed a host of legal challenges — including one criminal complaint — in its ongoing effort to stop fake review brokers.
The company said it had filed its first criminal complaint in Italy and first civil case in Spain against the review sites, according to a Thursday (Oct. 20) press release.
Amazon said in the release it has also recently filed 10 new lawsuits in the United States, going after “bad actors that operate more than 11,000 websites and social media groups that attempt to orchestrate fake reviews on Amazon and other stores in exchange for money or free products.”
The company’s Italian criminal complaint is against a broker who it accuses of selling fake reviews, according to the release.
“The defendant claims to have built a network of individuals who are willing to buy products on Amazon and post 5-star reviews in exchange for a full refund,” Amazon said in the release, noting that people in Italy convicted of this type of offense could face fines and jail time.
The civil complaint in Spain is against a website called Agencia Reviews, which Amazon said in the release targets sellers and customers on its Spanish site, reimbursing them for their fake reviews.
Reached for comment, Agencia Reviews insisted that its buyers are in no way compelled to leave five-star reviews. A spokesperson said the channel is simply a tester, connecting buyers and sellers, and declined to comment further.
In July, Amazon took more than 10,000 Facebook group administrators to court for allegedly brokering phony reviews, such as the group “Amazon Product Review,” which boasted more than 43,000 members.
Read more: Amazon Files Lawsuit Against 10K Facebook Groups Over Fake Reviews
The lawsuit, filed in King County Superior Court in Seattle, claimed that the Facebook groups allegedly orchestrated fake reviews on Amazon in exchange for free products or money. The groups allegedly recruit people who are willing to write incentivized and misleading reviews.
These actions come as regulators around the world have begun taking action to stamp out fake reviews. The Indian government was preparing regulations that will target people who are paid to endorse products — holding them liable if any issues arise around the goods.
See more: Indian Regulators to Hold Paid Reviewers Liable for Products
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