Amazon, BBB Sue Website Allegedly Peddling Fake Reviews

Seattle—Amazon and the Better Business Bureau (BBB) have filed a joint lawsuit against the website ReviewServiceUSA.com for allegedly selling fake reviews.

In a lawsuit filed July 18 in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington, the companies accused the site of using phony customer accounts to share fake positive and negative reviews on Amazon product pages and BBB profiles.

These reviews, said the lawsuit, were sold to people who wanted to boost the ranking and rating of their products and businesses, which can give their pages more visibility.

According to court documents, ReviewServiceUSA.com also allegedly offered to post fake negative reviews to Amazon or a BBB page for those looking to impact a competitor.

In a screenshot shared in court documents, the website advertised a “Buy Amazon Reviews” service, charging $50 for per review.

The screenshot said reviews would be posted from different IP addresses and different devices, and that if Amazon removed the review, ReviewServiceUSA.com would replace it with another review.

ReviewServiceUSA.com offered a similar service for those looking to buy reviews on the BBB website, charging $60 for three reviews and $200 for 10 reviews, according to the lawsuit.

In addition to fake reviews, the website allegedly sold another service, “Buy Amazon Seller Accounts,” for between $280 and $500.

These accounts were said to come with all the necessary documents to set up an account, including phone numbers, the last four digits of Social Security numbers, driver’s licenses, and passports. The company also allegedly promised a replacement account if Amazon shut it down.

ReviewServiceUSA.com appears to be offline as of press time.

In a press release about the lawsuit, Amazon highlighted the importance of reviews to the overall shopping experience, giving consumers the ability to make informed purchase decisions.

“These fake reviews undermine trust in the reviews experience, which harms customers and sellers alike,” said the company.

Amazon has invested in methods of proactively stopping fake reviews, it said, including using machine-learning models and expert investigators, and taking legal action against fake review brokers.

It said it has stopped 250 million suspected fake reviews from its store in 2023.

“Despite the efforts of both Amazon and the BBB, fake reviews persist because schemes allowing bad actors to pay for five-star reviews are organized and orchestrated largely on third-party websites such as Review Service USA, or in dedicated groups on social media sites, as opposed to within Amazon’s stores or on the BBB website where the fake reviews are ultimately posted,” said the lawsuit.

Amazon filed a similar lawsuit in 2015 against operators of sites allegedly selling fake product reviews. 

“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.”

By teaming up, the two can combine their resources and expertise to fight back against deceptive practices, said Melanie McGovern, director of public relations and social media for International Association of Better Business Bureaus.

“The joint lawsuit will convey that fake reviews will not be tolerated. BBB remains committed to fostering trust and promoting integrity in the marketplace to protect consumers and honest businesses,” said McGovern.

Amazon and the BBB both prohibit fake reviews on their sites.

The companies said the goal of the lawsuit is to shut down ReviewServiceUSA’s operations.