Business [WOW] Amazon sues operators of 10,000 Facebook groups over fake review schemes

[brassmonkey]

Amazon's long-running campaign against fake reviews just enjoyed some success. TechCrunch reports that Amazon has sued the administrators of more than 10,000 Facebook groups for attempting to coordinate fake reviews in exchange for free products or money. The group operators tried to recruit people in the US, UK, four European countries and Japan. One of the larger examples, Amazon Product Review, tried to avoid detection by "obfuscating" letters in phrases used to detect activity like this. Meta pulled the 43,000-member earlier this year.

The legal action comes after roughly two years of pinpointing rogue Facebook groups. Amazon said it would use info obtained during the discovery process to identify the perpetrators and pull fake reviews stemming from these communities.

Amazon has been suing fake review peddlers since 2015, and ramped up its efforts in recent years. The online shopping giant reported over 1,000 paid review groups to social networks in the first quarter of 2021, or three times the volume it reported a year earlier. The company argued that reports and lawsuits weren't enough to stop fake reviews, however. It believed that a more permanent solution would involve a stronger "public-private partnership" between online shops, social networks and law enforcement.

Whether or not Amazon can meaningfully deter fake reviews is another matter. This latest bust underscores the scope of the problem — it's easy to create a social media group that goes undetected for long enough to do significant damage. UK regulators certainly aren't convinced Amazon is doing enough, and have opened an investigation into the firm's approach to bogus review content. Amazon is fighting a battle that might be difficult to win under ideal circumstances, and it's not clear if the company's existing strategy is effective.

https://www.yahoo.com/finance/news/a...142447252.html

[CurrentlySober]

^^^FRONT^^^



^^^BACK^^^

Not EXACTLY what the OP was about, but similar enough for me to post. I got a shitty product the other day. Prob wouldn't have even known it was a shitty product, if it hadn't included this card... Lets look at it... Front to back, top to bottom...

1) Front is using Amazon Logo, to make it look official, followed by the amazon returns policy, and the fact you can 'Solve THE problem at any time' - In otherwords. already assuming that there WILL be a problem to solve. Finally, a 10% discount offered, if I email an anon email address...

2) Back: 'Good luck to you and your family' - What, good luck that it doesn't explode? Then instructions on how to leave a review, and the anon email again, should there be a problem... Once again, the amazon logo features prominently...

Talk about a dead giveaway - You dont get stuff from Sony or Samsung that include that kinda message - Quite silly really, as that card gave the game away, and I wouldn't have known otherwise...

[AmeliaG]

Amazon already takes profits from the rest of the US economy by getting a sweetheart deal from the Post Office, while USPS keeps hiking rates for the little people.

Amazon does not need more corporate welfare from getting a "public-private partnership with law enforcement" to police the usefulness of reviews on their site.

[trevesty]

Originally Posted by AmeliaG

Amazon already takes profits from the rest of the US economy by getting a sweetheart deal from the Post Office, while USPS keeps hiking rates for the little people.

Amazon does not need more corporate welfare from getting a "public-private partnership with law enforcement" to police the usefulness of reviews on their site.

Next you'll tell us that the locally owned gas station pays more for Gatorade than Wal-Mart does per pallet. Scale matters.

I agree with the last sentence, though.

[brassmonkey]

the reviews they use have great value

[plsureking]

Originally Posted by CurrentlySober

'Good luck to you and your family' - What, good luck that it doesn't explode?

#

[AmeliaG]

Originally Posted by trevesty

Next you'll tell us that the locally owned gas station pays more for Gatorade than Wal-Mart does per pallet. Scale matters.

I agree with the last sentence, though.

If the USPS had just made a deal with Amazon where the giant gets a bulk discount, I'd be fine with that. But USPS made a deal with Amazon which does not work for the Post Office's numbers to be where they need to be, so the USPS keeps both crying to Congress and raising the rates on everyone else's shipping. Meanwhile, my taxes go to make sure the Post Office can get sweetheart deals on financing and keep their pension fund huge and powerful.

Expecting government law enforcement to also help them police their own site is worse, but the government is not supposed to be a branch of Amazon.

[brassmonkey]

Originally Posted by AmeliaG

If the USPS had just made a deal with Amazon where the giant gets a bulk discount, I'd be fine with that. But USPS made a deal with Amazon which does not work for the Post Office's numbers to be where they need to be, so the USPS keeps both crying to Congress and raising the rates on everyone else's shipping. Meanwhile, my taxes go to make sure the Post Office can get sweetheart deals on financing and keep their pension fund huge and powerful.

Expecting government law enforcement to also help them police their own site is worse, but the government is not supposed to be a branch of Amazon.

no they enforce the law. these people are headed towards fraud charges and other things.

[AmeliaG]

Originally Posted by brassmonkey

no they enforce the law. these people are headed towards fraud charges and other things.

When an affiliate uses stolen credit cards to pound through a thousand dollars worth of payout and then all the credit card victims charge back to the affiliate program victim, law enforcement cares absolutely zero. And that seems like more genuine fraud than posting a misleading review on Amazon. I'm not saying either are great. Just Amazon's needs should not come before everyone else in America.

[brassmonkey]

Originally Posted by AmeliaG

When an affiliate uses stolen credit cards to pound through a thousand dollars worth of payout and then all the credit card victims charge back to the affiliate program victim, law enforcement cares absolutely zero. And that seems like more genuine fraud than posting a misleading review on Amazon. I'm not saying either are great. Just Amazon's needs should not come before everyone else in America.

well those they don't prosecute because they get insurance money... this is why they let petty thieves go... they can claim full price and there is no markdowns.

[blackmonsters]

Their logo has a dick drawn in it the represent the ownership.

[AmeliaG]

Originally Posted by brassmonkey

well those they don't prosecute because they get insurance money... this is why they let petty thieves go... they can claim full price and there is no markdowns.

The bank or their insurer loses money. The affiliate program loses money.

Someone in the Philippines reviewing some $9 spatula for money seems like something the US tax payers should care about less.

[Rochard]

This kind of stuff happens all the time.

I run a number of cycling groups on Facebook and people from Asia will hit me up saying they can send me a free product through Amazon if I write a positive review on them. If the product is something I might use I am all for it. They set up the product on Amazon and it costs a few cents, you buy it, get it in the mail, then write a review...