For the first time, the US Federal Trade Commission fined an organization for “review hijacking.” , the agency accused The Bountiful Company, maker of Nature’s Bounty brand of vitamins, of misleading consumers. Between 2020 and 2021, Bountiful abused an Amazon feature to make it appear as if some of their newer supplements had higher product reviews and ratings than they actually did.
If you’ve ever bought anything on Amazon, you’ve almost certainly interacted with the feature that Bountiful tried to play. Some listings include a set of icons that highlight different “variations” of that same product. For example, if you visit the page for Sony’s popular WH-1000XM5, the feature will highlight that the headphones are available in three different colors. By design, Amazon designed this feature to be limited. Sellers are supposed to use it to show that a product they offer is available in a different color, size, quantity, or flavor.
That’s not what The Bountiful Company did. According to the FTC, Bountiful used the feature to give newer products a boost from older, more established ones with different formulations. In an internal email obtained by the agency, Bountiful lamented that “people didn’t love” one of its new vitamins, but noted that sales “skyrocketed by the time we turned the pages and continue to grow.”
On Monday, the FTC voted unanimously to approve a consent order that carries a $600,000 fine for Bountiful and prohibits the company from employing such tactics in the future. “Boosting your products by hijacking another product’s ratings or reviews is a relatively new tactic, but it’s still misleading advertising,” said Samuel Levine, director of the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection.
“There is no place for fraud in the Amazon store. We have proactive measures in place to prevent listing abuse and continually monitor our store,” an Amazon spokesperson told Engadget. “Our policies prohibit review abuse, which includes offering incentives such as gift cards for writing positive reviews. We suspend, ban, and prosecute those who violate these policies and remove inauthentic reviews.”
According to Amazon, “more than 99 percent” of the products people see on its marketplace “contain only authentic reviews.” If you find what you think is a fake review, the company recommends tapping the “Report” button so you can investigate and take action. The spokesperson added that Amazon would continue to work with the FTC and other enforcement agencies to combat scammers.
