Internet astroturfing costs firm US$300,000

The state of New York has fined a plastic surgery company US$300,000 for posting up anonymous reviews about itself online.

The company, Lifestyle Lift, had employees post up positive reviews of the company’s services on web sites and message boards and in some cases tried to get negative reviews of the company taken down.

New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo said the practice constituted deceptive commercial practices, false advertising, and fraudulent and illegal conduct and fined the company heavily.

“This company’s attempt to generate business by duping consumers was cynical, manipulative, and illegal,” said Attorney General Cuomo.

“My office has and will continue to be on the forefront in protecting consumers against emerging fraud and deception, including ‘astroturfing,’ on the Internet.”

The company also set up phony web sites such as myfaceliftstory.com which gave apparent reviews about Lifestyle Lift’s services. Management recruited staff to fill forum boards on these pages with positive reviews, as emails revealed.

“Friday is going to be a slow day - I need you to devote the day to doing more postings on the web as a satisfied client,” one read.

Another internal email directed a Lifestyle Lift employee to “Put your wig and skirt on and tell them about the great experience you had.”

Cuomo is taking an increasingly aggressive posture to ecommerce issues, fining Dell, Symantec and McAfee recently and forcing internet service providers to police their content.