Amazon Brushing Scams | Clark Howard Video

Third-party online sellers engage in “brushing” scams in an attempt to raise product ratings on websites such as Amazon. The seller pays a third party to purchase their products through fake buyer accounts they’ve created.

After the purchase, the item gets delivered to a real address. Then the seller can write a positive review of their own product from the fake Amazon buyer account.

Reviews are hugely important to any seller on Amazon. The more reviews a particular product has and the better the reviews are, the higher the product will rank in Amazon’s algorithm. That means more exposure for that product which potentially leads to more sales.

In addition, sellers who engage in brushing scams sometimes write what are called “verified purchase reviews.” Anyone with an Amazon account can write a review for any product, but verified purchase reviews rank higher in the algorithm. And Amazon gives reviews that verified label only if it confirms that the product was bought at full price from the reviewer’s account.

link

Clark.com: Advice You Can Trust:
SUBSCRIBE: link

Listen To The Clark Howard Podcast: link
Apple Podcasts: link
Spotify: link
iHeartRadio: link

Follow Us for More Money Tips:
Website: link
Podcast: link
Newsletter: link
Instagram: link
Facebook: link

Need Consumer Advice?
The Consumer Action Center is a free resource for advice on money and consumer issues. Call 636-49C-LARK (636-492-5275) and a member of Team Clark will assist you as soon as possible. The Consumer Action Center is available Monday-Friday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. ET.

If you found this video valuable, give it a like.
If you know someone who needs to see it, share it.
Leave a comment below with your thoughts.
Add it to a playlist if you want to watch it later.

Our Promise to You:
At Clark.com and ClarkDeals.com, we do not get paid for endorsements or reviews of any product or service, nor do we allow advertisers to place paid content on our sites. More information: link