Should you always believe that verified Amazon review? Perhaps not
What's the story
Amazon's customer review system, a key tool for shoppers, is under fire due to potential manipulation by unscrupulous sellers.
The issue came to light when an Amazon marketplace seller offered PCWorld contributor Christoph Hoffmann, $21.65 to write a five-star review for a $10.82 oil sprayer.
Although it was hard to identify the sender, the payment came from China.
Surprisingly, Amazon approved the review after an internal check, raising concerns about the authenticity of many verified reviews on the platform.
Countermeasures
Amazon's measures and seller tactics
Amazon has implemented measures to combat review manipulation, including a requirement for customers to have spent at least $50 on the platform in the past year before submitting reviews.
However, as Hoffmann's experience shows, sellers can circumvent this rule by directly soliciting reviews from previous buyers.
Although Amazon advises customers to report suspected fake reviews immediately, the fraudulent reviews often remain visible on the site, with additional five-star ratings continually added.
Sophisticated fraud
Paid review services: A thorn in Amazon's side
Paid review services contribute significantly to the problem of fake reviews on Amazon.
According to Lauren Dragan from The New York Times, these services use advanced methods to make their reviews appear genuine, including adding negative reviews for non-client brands to create a sense of "authenticity."
It's also relatively easy for individuals or firms to create multiple fake Amazon accounts for posting reviews, further complicating the issue.
Technological manipulation
Incentives and AI tools fueling the fake review fire
Sellers are known to manipulate Amazon's review system, by offering incentives like free products and gift cards for positive reviews.
Some even pay for negative reviews on their rivals' products.
The rise of artificial intelligence (AI) tools has exacerbated the problem, making it easier to generate convincing fake reviews.
This technological advancement presents an additional challenge in maintaining the integrity of Amazon's customer review system.
Consumer vigilance
How to spot fake reviews: Tools and techniques
Despite the challenges, there are methods shoppers can use to identify fake reviews.
These include looking for patterns in language and timing, being wary of overly positive or negative reviews lacking detail, and examining the reviewer's history.
Tools like Fakespot or The Review Index can also assist, although Amazon urged Apple to remove Fakespot's app from the iOS App Store in 2021, citing a violation of App Store guidelines.