The FTC settled with online retailer Fashion Nova, requiring them to pay $2.4 million in refunds to consumers. The company was accused of suppressing negative reviews on their website, leading to misleading representations of their products.

Rytr’s AI Generated Fake Reviews (December 2024) Action: The FTC approved a final consent order against Rytr, an AI writing assistant service, for providing subscribers with tools to generate false and deceptive online reviews.

Cure Encapsulations, Inc. This case marked the FTC’s first enforcement action against fake reviews on an independent retail site. The company’s owner paid a third party website to fabricate positive Amazon reviews for a weight loss supplement and bolster its star rating . In 2019, the FTC settled the case with a $12.8 million judgment (suspended upon a $50,000 payment d ue to inability to pay) for false advertising and fake “Amazon verified” reviews .The order also required notifying Amazon that reviews had been purchased . Roomster Apartment rental platform Roomster was sued by the FTC and six states for allegedly flooding the market with fake positive reviews and false listings to lure renters . The complaint asserted that Roomster bought tens of thousands ” of fabricated 4 and 5 star reviews to boost its credibility, while charging users for access to housing listings that often didn t exist. A proposed settlement was reached: Roomster s founders are permanently banned from buying or incentivizing reviews going forward, and a $ 47.2 million judgment (including $ 36.2 million in consumer redress and $ 10.9 million in civil penalties to states) was imposed.