Amazon has partnered with the Better Business Bureau (BBB) to file its first joint US lawsuit against fake review brokers.

The legal action specifically targets ReviewServiceUSA.com, a business which Amazon claims has attempted to sell fake positive reviews to bad actors for publication on its product listing pages or BBB business profile pages.

Additionally, the website has used fake customer accounts to post inauthentic positive reviews to misleadingly inflate a product or business’ rating and ranking.

The e-commerce giant said that consumer reviews have become “an essential part” of the shopping experience, helping customers make informed purchase decisions, explaining that lawsuit is part of Amazon’s commitment to ensuring that reviews can be trusted.

Amazon said it invests significant resources to proactively stop fake reviews. This includes using machine-learning models and expert investigators to ensure that every review is genuine.

The e-commerce giant said it proactively blocked more than 250 million suspected fake reviews from its online store in 2023.

By taking legal action against fake review brokers, Amazon said it hopes to stop fake reviews at the source and hold bad actors accountable for their actions.

“Amazon is committed to ensuring reviews remain a trustworthy, insightful resource for consumers worldwide and we have zero tolerance for any attempts to mislead our customers through fake reviews,” said Claire O’Donnell, Amazon’s director of selling partner trust and store integrity. “We’re grateful for the collaboration with the Better Business Bureau to hold these fake review brokers accountable for their deceitful actions.

“This lawsuit sends a clear message to bad actors that Amazon will use all available means to preserve the authenticity of product reviews.”

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