Amazon is taking over 1,000 people to court for posting fake reviews on its website.
The e-commerce giant is going up against 1,114 defendants, known as “John Does” in the case, for offering a false review on Fiverr.com.
Fiverr is a website that allows users to advertise their services. In this instance the John Does (real names of which are unknown) were selling biased review services for as little as $5.
Amazon claims that its brand reputation is being tarnished by “false, misleading and inauthentic” reviews paid for by sellers looking to make their products more attractive.
“While small in number, these reviews can significantly undermine the trust that consumers and the vast majority of sellers and manufacturers place in Amazon, which in turn tarnishes Amazon’s brand,” the technology giant said in a complaint filed on Friday.
Amazon said it had conducted an investigation, posing as a Fiverr seller to purchase some of the fake customer reviews from people who promised five-star ratings as well as allowing purchasers to write their own reviews.
It is understood that the fake review sellers were avoiding detection by using multiple accounts from unique IP addresses.
The lawsuit does not target Fiverr, which is not a defendant in the complaint and has said it is working with the etailer to resolve the issue.
“Amazon is bringing this action to protect its customers from this misconduct, by stopping defendants and uprooting the ecosystem in which they participate,” the lawsuit says.
This case comes after Amazon sued a number of websites in April for selling fake reviews.
