"Bringing these criminals to justice through legal action and criminal charges is one of the initiatives we protect customers so that they can shop with confidence," said Dharmesh Mehta , vice president of Amazon sales services. Amazon's first criminal complaint, filed in Italy, targets one of the leading fake review providers in the country. The identified operator would in fact have created a network of people willing to buy products on Amazon and publish 5-star reviews in exchange for a full refund of their purchases.
Similarly, the multinational filed its first civil complaint in Spain against another provider of fake reviews, Agencia Reviews, which allegedly carried out similar practices to the fake reviews operator reported in Italy. In addition, Amazon also sent warnings to five websites, based in Germany, which directed visitors to other such operators. All five websites have since decided to discontinue this business by signing a termination confirmation letter.
Amazon has created a dedicated team of investigators, lawyers, analysts and other specialists to counter the phenomenon of fake reviews, globally, by tracking suppliers and taking legal action against them. However, according to the company, "to permanently eliminate fake reviews, continuous collaboration and investments are required throughout the sector. Amazon continues to seek the assistance and support of other industry players, as well as government agencies, regulatory bodies and law enforcement agencies to improve detection and increase enforcement actions against fake review brokers. "