Companies selling fake reviews are “tarnishing” brand, Amazon says

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After being pressed by the media and government organizations about paid reviews on its site, Amazon is taking its fight against compensated reviews to the courts. On Tuesday, the company filed lawsuits against AppSally and Rebatest, firms that Amazon claims sell "fake" positive Amazon reviews.

The claims: 5-star reviews for sale

Amazon's two lawsuits in the King County Superior Court in Seattle against AppSally (PDF) and Rebatest (PDF) provide in-depth details of fake review packages purportedly offered by the companies, which have both been operating since at least 2018. Amazon believes AppSally and Rebatest are hurting customer trust by selling packages that let sellers pay for positive reviews of their products.

Amazon's Community Guidelines say that "creating, modifying, or posting content in exchange for compensation of any kind, (including free or discounted products, refunds, or reimbursements)" and "offering compensation or requesting compensation (including free or discounted products) in exchange for creating, modifying, or posting content" is not allowed.

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