In a new scam, criminals send free products via Amazon to their victims.
Amazon sellers are guilty of “brushing” con artists who create fake sales, which are then followed up by floods upon floods of false positive reviews.
Which? The target may have been over a million homes in Britain, according to Which?
‘Brushing’ pushes products to Amazon’s Top Review Charts, which can result in huge sales. Freebies are available for everyone in the UK, from electronics to beauty products to cheap electronics.
A new scam involves criminals sending free products to victims’ homes via Amazon. Amazon sellers who are corrupt create fake sales, which are followed up by bogus positive reviews. (Stock image).
Teresa Martin, 67, from Swindon, Wiltshire received 50 mystery parcels. These included a karaoke mic and a glass teapot. According to her, the US web giant instructed her to keep these items.
Rocio Galguera from Which? called the scam ‘troubling’. Amazon stated, “Brushing is a scheme that affects all online markets.
It advised people to report unwelcome packages to customer service so that we can investigate thoroughly and take appropriate actions.
A Which? A Which?
According to the consumer champion, information from China’s internet sales experts suggests that manufacturers see the cost of setting up ‘brushing schemes’ as a part of business operations and not a form marketing.
Rocio CONCHA, Director of Policy and Advocacy, Which?, stated: “Consumers should trust that the popularity and reviews for products they purchase online are genuine. So it is troubling to see that third-party vendors appear to be using brushing frauds to game Amazon Marketplace.
Amazon must do more to investigate brushing scams, and take strong action against sellers who attempt to mislead consumers.
According to the company, “Brushing” is a scheme that affects all online marketplaces. It is orchestrated by bad actors who obtain names and addresses from external sources.
Amazon has strong processes in place to prevent abuses from impacting our reviews and search rankings. We will not stop improving the sophistication of our abuse prevention system in our store. We will also continue to support law enforcement organizations in their efforts to hold criminals accountable.
“We encourage all who have received unsolicited mailings to inform our customer service team so that we can investigate thoroughly and take the appropriate action.”