Amazon is a marketplace built on trust. Product reviews play a vital role in purchasing decisions, influencing everything from organic rankings to conversion rates.
But what happens when that trust is compromised by fake reviews—whether overly glowing five-star ratings for low-quality products or malicious one-star attacks on legitimate listings?
Both shoppers and sellers have the ability to report fake reviews, but the process must be strategic, well-documented, and compliant with Amazon’s policies.
What Is Considered a Fake Review on Amazon?
A fake review is any product review that violates Amazon’s Community Guidelines and Customer Review Policies. These include:
Common Types of Fake Reviews
- Incentivized Reviews: Paid or reward-based reviews not disclosed as such (e.g., free product in exchange for review).
- Bot-Generated or Mass Reviews: Multiple reviews posted within a short period using automated accounts or review farms.
- Competitor Attacks (Review Bombing): Coordinated negative reviews meant to sabotage a competitor’s product rating.
- Self-Promotion or Sockpuppeting: Sellers writing positive reviews for their own products using fake buyer accounts.
- Unrelated or Irrelevant Content: Reviews that talk about unrelated experiences or products.
- Recycled Reviews: The same review posted across multiple unrelated products.
Why Fake Reviews Are a Serious Problem?
- Distorts product quality perception
- Unfairly impacts rankings and Buy Box eligibility
- Reduces consumer confidence in the platform
- Violates Amazon’s core terms of service
- Could lead to account suspension or blacklisting if a seller is found complicit
How to Report Fake Reviews as a Seller?
Sellers are on the front lines when it comes to review abuse—especially from unethical competitors.
Step-by-Step: Reporting from Seller Central
- Log in to Seller Central
- Go to Support → Get Support → Selling on Amazon
- Type “report abuse” or “review abuse” in the message field
- Select: Products and Inventory → Product Reviews
- Choose “Report abuse for customer reviews”
- Provide:
- ASIN of the product
- Exact review content (copy/paste)
- Reason it violates policy (e.g., incentivized, irrelevant, defamatory)
- Screenshot evidence (optional but helpful)
- ASIN of the product
- Submit the case for investigation
You can also email [email protected] with the same details.
How to Report Fake Reviews as a Shopper?
As a customer, if you spot a suspicious review that seems fake or deceptive, Amazon allows you to flag it directly on the product page.
Step-by-Step: Reporting from the Product Page
- Go to the review section of the product
- Find the review in question
- Click on the “Report abuse” link below the review
- Choose a reason (spam, off-topic, promotional, etc.)
While this method is fast, it’s less effective for serious cases. Amazon doesn’t always act on a single flag. To report in-depth, you can:
- Contact Amazon customer service through live chat
- Email [email protected] with screenshots and explanations
What Happens After You Report a Review?
Once a report is submitted, Amazon will:
- Investigate the review against their Community Guidelines
- Use machine learning and human moderation to assess
- Remove the review if it’s in violation
- Possibly suspend accounts posting multiple violations
This process can take anywhere from 24 hours to several days depending on the volume of reports and complexity.
Note: Amazon does not notify sellers about the removal of reviews unless part of a broader account issue or appeal.
What If Amazon Doesn’t Take Action?
It’s possible that even a clearly fake review doesn’t get removed immediately. Here’s what you can do:
1. Follow Up with Amazon Support
Reopen the support case, provide more documentation, and escalate to a senior account manager if available.
2. Use the Brand Registry Channel
If you’re a registered brand, open a case through Amazon Brand Registry Support. These tickets often receive faster, more thorough attention.
3. Leverage Amazon Vine & Verified Reviews
Focus on collecting legitimate, verified reviews through:
- Post-purchase follow-up
- Amazon Vine (for brand registered sellers)
- Product inserts (compliant with Amazon’s Communication Policy)
Proactive Tips to Protect Your Listings
- Monitor Reviews Regularly: Use tools like Helium 10’s Review Insights or FeedbackWhiz to detect review spikes or pattern anomalies.
- Document and Screenshot Everything: Amazon’s team responds best when you provide clear, timestamped evidence.
- Never Engage in Fake Review Practices Yourself: Even indirect or “gray area” tactics (like undisclosed incentives) can get you permanently banned.
- Educate Your Support Team: Make sure your internal team knows how to escalate review-related issues quickly and accurately.
Amazon’s Official Stance on Fake Reviews
Amazon has sued over 10,000 Facebook group admins and hundreds of review farms to crack down on fake reviews. They’ve made it clear:
“We want customers to shop with confidence and make informed decisions based on authentic, trustworthy reviews.”
This means sellers and shoppers both play a role in keeping the ecosystem clean, fair, and transparent.
Final Thoughts
Fake reviews are a growing concern, but Amazon has made real progress in rooting them out — especially when sellers and buyers proactively report abuse with the right documentation.
If you’re serious about long-term success on Amazon, understanding how to identify, report, and respond to fake reviews isn’t just a defensive tactic — it’s a core part of your brand protection strategy.
To help you strengthen your brand, Amerify provides listing optimization, PPC Campaign management and SEO services. You can contact us today to give a boost to your rankings and sales.
