Online retail giant Amazon has given a commitment to the UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) to improve its systems for detecting and addressing fake reviews, aligning with the new mandates of the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act (DMCCA).

The commitments address concerns raised by the CMA regarding "catalogue abuse" - a deceptive practice where sellers transfer positive reviews from one product to another unrelated item to artificially inflate its rating, potentially misleading customers.

Amazon has also agreed to impose penalties on merchants who engage in inflating their ratings through fake reviews or catalogue abuse, which could include prohibitions on selling via its platform. Individuals who submit fraudulent reviews may face restrictions up to being barred from contributing further reviews.

These pledges enhance Amazon's pre-existing measures, aiming to establish more stringent and effective systems. This enhancement bolsters consumer confidence in the reliability of online ratings and reviews.

The CMA estimates that a significant portion of UK consumer spending is influenced by online reviews, with £23 billion of such spending affected.

The authority is currently reviewing platforms as part of its Fake Reviews Guidance issued in April 2025. The review to ensure compliance with consumer law is part of a broader initiative to examine the conduct within the sector.

The DMCCA empowers the CMA to independently determine consumer law infringements and directly address breaches, including issuing fines and ordering redress for affected consumers.

In early 2025, Google agreed to commitments that led to substantial revisions in its approach to combating fraudulent reviews.

CMA CEO Sarah Cardell stated: “The undertakings from Amazon and Google, alongside our recently published advice to review platforms, paint a clear picture of what the law requires from businesses. Following this, we’re now launching the next phase of our work. This will scrutinise whether review platforms, businesses who list products on them, and reviewers themselves, are complying with the strengthened laws around fake reviews – and whether further action will be needed to see real change for shoppers.”

Amazon Prime Day 2025 is set to take place in the US on July 15/16, amidst growing apprehension regarding evolving trade policies between the US and China.

"Amazon tightens grip on fake reviews with UK CMA commitment" was originally created and published by Retail Insight Network, a GlobalData owned brand.