In today's world of online shopping and social media, "word of keyboard" versus "word of mouth" reviews circulate faster and more widely than ever before. The downside is that the writers are unknown to the readers, which can make their authenticity questionable.

Yelp and other sites have responded by putting measures in place to help guard against fake or misleading reviews. This past March, Amazon ratcheted up the battle when thousands of customers discovered that their accounts had been suspended without warning.

First Rumblings of Trouble

Early reports of the closed accounts began on April 1, which led some to take the news with a grain of salt, suspecting April fool's Day pranks. But when a Facebook group created to discuss the problem logged 1,333 members, it became apparent that the situation was no joke.

Later that day, EcommerceBytes, a digital news source for online vendors, reached out to Amazon for answers. In response, the company's spokesperson gave a generic statement about the importance of protecting customer trust and referred all individual questions to Customer Service.

Policy Infractions Lead to Suspended Accounts

Four days later, customers with closed accounts began receiving an email from Amazon stating that the suspension was a result of "violations of our Community Guidelines and Conditions of Use." Two specific infractions were cited:

• Posting reviews in exchange for gift cards, free merchandise or other forms of compensation

• Using an account for commercial purposes, such as drop-shipping orders for resale

Customers Look for Answers

Despite the explanation, customers remained bewildered. Some said they had received gift or promo cards, but it was in return for uploading receipts to refund-tracking app Paribus or other non-review-related activities. Others said they hadn't posted reviews at all, especially since 2016 when Amazon began its ban on incentivized reviews.

Here are other examples of stories shared on the Facebook group:

• One buyer explained that she did indeed use coupon codes distributed by vendors and simply ignored requests for reviews.

• Another woman said she does post product reviews on her blog, but includes full disclosure about receiving the items for free or at a discounted price. In addition, she always adds links to each item's listing on the Amazon website.

Amazon's Ongoing Battle against Fraudulent Reviews

After the email was sent, EcommerceBytes went back to Amazon for further comment. The spokesperson's statement asserted Amazon's policy of banning incentivized reviews unless they go through the company's Vine or Early Reviewer programs.

According to company rules, reviewers in the Amazon programs must have a password-protected account with at least $50 in valid purchases. Finally, the statement emphasized Amazon's commitment to seek out and sanction sellers, manufacturers and buyers who participate in fraudulent review activity.

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