When you buy on Amazon or any other online store, what you expect is that, when reviewing the reviews and opinions of those users who have already bought or tried the product, they will be sincere and subjective evaluations, since they are of some use when it comes to decide if it is finally a good option, or if it is simply worth it.
Especially in new products that I don’t have much experience with, I consider this to be something really valuable. Although it is clear that, like everything, it is necessary to filter some evaluations because they are not very accurate.
However, what we have known only a few days ago offers confidence at all: a database with more than 7 GB of data, more than 200,000 users involved and 13 million records , with messages between users and providers, has been leaked. .
How did the fake review scheme work?
According to experts, suppliers are responsible for choosing which products they want to have positive reviews or opinions. From that moment on, the users involved register with the intention of participating in the campaign, and subsequently buy those products in the store (in this case, on Amazon).
After receiving the product, the supposed customer waits a few days, to finally publish a positive review both about the purchase itself and the product in question.
Once published, the user contacts the supplier / seller, showing him proof that he has made the review (which must always be positive), and attaches a PayPal account to where the seller must refund the purchase money . The supposed customer finally gets the product .
It is a process that Amazon is not originally able to detect, since, apparently, everything is correct since the refund transaction has been carried out outside the platform. And, in addition, neither the seller nor the supplier have contacted the user through Amazon, without having the purchase process.
What is Aukey?
Although at the moment there is no official confirmation from Amazon, it has been discovered that some popular sellers have disappeared from the platform . It is the case of Aukey .
Aukey is a very popular brand of new technology accessories, which is often confused with Anker. It is, it is true, a Chinese march that designs and manufactures adapters, batteries or wireless headphones, just to name a few examples, usually of good quality.
However, as of Tuesday, May 11, 2021, it is no longer possible to buy Aukey products on Amazon .
At the beginning of this month, the specialized site Safety Detective detected a system consisting of the creation of false reviews , after the leak of a database that revealed a mechanism by which companies pay Amazon users in exchange for a positive review .
The goal was pretty clear: by generating positive (albeit false) reviews, brands “manipulate” and play with Amazon’s algorithm to push their different products up the rankings.
Although it is true that it is very common for many brands and manufacturers to create false reviews on Amazon (it is, it is true, a very common practice), it is actually a practice prohibited by the American e-commerce platform , despite the fact that Amazon seems to be very lax on this topic. Up to now.
And, after the publication of said information, Amazon prohibited the Aukey brand from continuing to sell its products through the platform . At the moment, it is unknown whether this ban is temporary or permanent.
And, as many experts point out, it’s actually a shame, since many of the products developed by this brand did not need false reviews, as they are generally good value for money.
