Fake Amazon Review Ring Shut Down by British High Court

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Fake Amazon Review Ring Shut Down by British High Court

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A fake Amazon review ring has been shut down following a legal challenge in the British courts.

The High Court has issued injunctions against three companies that offered to boost Amazon sellers' star ratings using a network of thousands of seemingly authentic reviewers. It is believed to be the first time the UK courts have issued such an injunction.

The companies based in Malta and Mallorca traded as AMZTigers and Testerjob. They promised to boost sellers' items in search results by flooding them with five-star reviews.

AMZTigers boasted 20,000 reviewers in the UK and 62,000 globally. The reviewers would purchase assigned products on Amazon and then review them, making them appear authentic, but be reimbursed for their cost, effectively being showered with free items in exchange for reviews.

Company records show the operations are linked to Norbert Weber, a Berlin-based internet marketing entrepreneur. Mr Weber did not respond to a request for comment.

Vocabulary: 

Ring - gang, group of people doing something illegal

showered with - to be given many free things

boost - to increase

flooding - to have many of something

injunction - a legal stopping of something

Reimbursed - to be paid back