Scam category
Fake review scams
Fake review scams operate on both sides. Consumers are recruited with offers to get paid for writing five-star reviews, which is itself a scheme to collect personal data and banking details. On the other side, brushing scams send unsolicited packages to your address so sellers can post verified purchase reviews under your name.
Category activity
“online shopping scam”
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- A job offer promises easy money for writing product reviews, especially if it requires an upfront deposit or your Amazon login.
- You receive packages you never ordered, often small and inexpensive items from overseas sellers.
- A Telegram or WhatsApp group recruits you to complete review tasks with escalating deposit requirements.
Common searches
paid review product scam
Sellers recruit people to buy their product on Amazon, leave a 5-star review, then receive a full refund plus a commission — inflating ratings and deceiving shoppers.
Do not participate — writing fake reviews violates FTC guidelines and marketplace terms of service.
Online shoppers
U.S.
fake Amazon review job scam
A message offers a lucrative work-from-home job writing Amazon reviews, but the real goal is to collect your personal information or get you to make purchases you will never be reimbursed for.
Never pay out of pocket for a job opportunity — legitimate employers do not require this.
Side hustle seekers
U.S.
influencer sponsorship scam
Scammers impersonate brands and offer content creators fake sponsorship deals, then request upfront fees for shipping, samples, or contracts that never materialize.
Verify the offer by contacting the brand directly through their official website.
Content creators
U.S.
review-for-refund scheme scam
An Amazon seller contacts buyers after purchase and offers a full refund in exchange for a 5-star review, artificially inflating their product ratings.
Decline the offer and report the seller to Amazon for review manipulation.
Online shoppers
U.S.
fake Yelp review extortion scam
Scammers threaten small businesses with a flood of fake 1-star Yelp reviews unless the business pays them to stop.
Do not pay — extortion payments almost always lead to repeated demands.
Small business owners
U.S.
app store review manipulation scam
Developers pay for fake 5-star app store reviews to boost rankings, misleading users into downloading low-quality or malicious apps.
Read recent reviews and look for specific, detailed feedback rather than generic praise.
Online shoppers
U.S.
TikTok product reviewer scam
Scammers recruit TikTok users to promote products in videos with promises of free merchandise and commissions, but products never arrive and personal data is harvested.
Verify the company independently — search for its name plus the word scam before signing up.
Content creators
U.S.
brushing scam
You receive unsolicited packages you never ordered — a seller is using your name and address to post verified purchase reviews, boosting their product ratings fraudulently.
Report the unsolicited package to the marketplace — Amazon has a dedicated brushing report form.
Online shoppers
U.S.
fake testimonial service scam
Companies sell fabricated customer testimonials, reviews, and case studies to businesses, enabling them to deceive potential customers with manufactured social proof.
Reverse image search testimonial photos to check if they are stock images.
Small business owners
U.S.
influencer impersonation scam
Scammers create fake accounts mimicking popular influencers and use them to promote fraudulent products, run fake giveaways, or solicit money from fans.
Verify the account handle character by character and check for the verified badge.
Content creators
U.S.
Amazon fake product review job scam
Scammers recruit people through social media or text messages for 'paid Amazon review' jobs, eventually requesting upfront payments for products to review or stealing personal information during the onboarding process.
Legitimate companies do not recruit product reviewers through unsolicited texts or social media messages offering easy money.
Job seekers
U.S.
fake Google review extortion scam
Scammers threaten to flood a business with fake negative Google reviews unless the business pays a fee, or offer to remove existing negative reviews for a price.
Do not pay — report the fake reviews to Google through your Business Profile by flagging each one as inappropriate.
Small business owners
U.S.
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