An IANS report says, “The research found that these websites also promise free products in exchange of fake reviews.”
According to UK-based consumer group Which?, several websites are selling fake reviews for goods sold on Amazon Marketplace. Cost of the fake reviews starts from 5 pound each and some of the website are selling them even “in bulk,” the BBC reported on Tuesday, citing the findings of Which?
An IANS report says, “The research found that these websites also promise free products in exchange of fake reviews.”
The fake review business is continuing for quite some time despite a crackdown by the e-commerce giant.
“We remove fake reviews and take action against anyone involved in abuse,” an Amazon spokesman was quoted as saying by the BBC, as per IANS report.
As per the research by Which?, sellers can buy these fake review packages for 15 pounds individually, while the price of bulk packages starts at 620 pounds for 50 reviews which may go up to 8,000 pound for 1,000 reviews.
People who provide the fake reviews are often offered payments as well as free or discounts on products, said the report.
Earlier, in 2019, an investigation by Daily Mail found sellers on the platform purchasing fake reviews for around 15 euro each.
The companies selling fake reviews to sellers were found relying on an army of “testers” who buy the products to post the four and five-star reviews online, said the report.
The investigation showed that the testers get the refund for the cost of purchasing the products, in addition to a small fee.
The testers used to buy the products so that the reviews they post get classified as “Amazon Verified Purchases”.
