How To Report Fake Reviews on Amazon

Anna Middleton Read more May 9, 2021

Amazon is the biggest online marketplace in the world and it offers millions of products. That being said, it cannot keep track of all the products, even though it has thousands of employees. Reviews on Amazon help a great deal because they allow each product to be individually rated.

Amazon is also the largest individual source of reviews on the Internet. Their review system is very functional, but some users try to abuse it to their advantage. When browsing on Amazon, beware of fake reviews. They may lure you into buying a product which is not necessarily as good as it is advertised to be.

On the other hand, some people put negative reviews on a good product just to hurt their competitors. Read on if you want to know how to report fake reviews on Amazon and some other ways to protect your consumer rights.

How to Report a Review

There used to be an option to rate a review as unhelpful, but Amazon has removed it some time ago. So, all you can do is report reviews you consider fake or misleading. Here is how to do it step by step:

Open Amazon and search for the desired product.
Scroll down nearly to the bottom of the page where all the reviews are located.
Click on Report abuse below the review you find abusive.
Amazon has also removed the feature where you can comment on the reason why you are reporting a review.
All that is left to do is click the Report button to confirm.

It might not feel like doing this has much of an impact, but it is a step in the right direction. Your report should put the person responsible in Amazon’s sight, especially if more people do the same. This can lead to the removal of the fake reviews and ultimately maybe even banning people who write them from posting new reviews.

Additional Measures You Can Take

In case you do not feel like reporting fake reviews is enough, you can take some extra steps to fight them. Here is what you can do.

Email Amazon

Another way to report abuse on Amazon is to email them about any of your suspicions. You should send an email to community-help@amazon.com, with as many details as you can provide. You should provide direct links to both the product and the review that is bothering you. Adding screenshots will not hurt either.

It is possible you will not get a response, but they will certainly look into this user spreading fake reviews and put a stop to it. Amazon has very strict rules and punishments when it comes to fake advertising. Any seller that offers refunds, discounts or other ways of compensation for modified or fake reviews on their product listings should be reported.

If you let Amazon know about people violating their regulations, they will certainly take action against them.

Write Your Own Review

So, you bought a product after reading positive reviews and they turned out fake? You can leave your own review, telling the truth to other people that may be interested in the product. If everyone who got scammed or disappointed by a certain product left a bad review, they would eventually stack up so others can’t avoid it.

Remember to be civil and respect the guidelines set by Amazon. You do not want your review to be removed because you were overly emotional.

Return a Product Which Disappointed You

Even better than writing a review, you can return the product to Amazon and get your money back. This will hurt the seller the most. Amazon will take notice in case the product gets returned multiple times.

Sadly, you cannot specify you returned your order because of a fake review, but you can choose inaccurate website description or item defective or doesn’t work. However, you can comment when returning a product and let Amazon know that a specific product listing is riddled with fake reviews.

You will most likely lose a little money in the process, but returning a product is a bold statement to Amazon that you as a consumer will not tolerate deceptive products and reviews on their website.

Patience Pays Off

In the long run, your patience will be rewarded. The process of reporting fake reviews may be easy on your part, but Amazon will take its time to ensure your claims are true. Punishment most likely will not come swiftly, but it will come eventually.

Make sure to do your research before you buy products on Amazon. In the sea of products Amazon offers, some of them are bound to not be legitimate.