Amazon being targeted by US official for ‘rampant’ fake reviews

Fake reviews of products on sites like Amazon have been a problem for years but has become more widespread since the Covid-19 pandemic, when retailers saw a huge uptick in online shopping. — Photo by Christian Wiediger on Unsplash

US Senator Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., is putting pressure on Amazon to crack down on what he calls “rampant fake reviews” on the ecommerce site.

Fake reviews of products on sites like Amazon have been a problem for years but has become more widespread since the Covid-19 pandemic, when retailers saw a huge uptick in online shopping. The holiday season is usually a time when the problem becomes more pervasive as more consumers are buying products online.