By Christmas shoppers warned over fake reviews
UK shoppers have bought almost 80 million items on the back of incredible online reviews only to be left disappointed when they arrive.
New data from the National Trading Standards found that for 56% of online shoppers, online reviews are a deciding factor when purchasing a product or service.
A further 67% of those using online reviews are more likely to buy a product or service if it has a five-star rating.
This data shows how trust in online reviews is fuelling a surge in criminals using fake reviews to promote poor quality goods and services.
Fake online reviews are estimated to potentially influence £23 billion of UK consumer spending every year.
However, the research also showed that many people are failing to take simple steps to avoid being duped.
Only one in five check the timing and spacing of reviews online – if lots of similar reviews have been posted in a short space of time, they may have been submitted by the same person or group.
Another 18% of consumers look at reviewers’ activity history, which can also provide clues that something is not right.
A huge 87% of shoppers using online reviews do not use browser plug-ins such as Fakespot and ReviewMeta to detect bogus reviews.
The National Trading Standards eCrime Team has issued advice to shoppers to help them avoid being scammed.
How to avoid falling for fake online reviews:
- Timing and spacing – check for multiple similar reviews that have been uploaded within a few minutes or hours.
- Reviewer’s history – check out the reviewer’s activity – if an account has been activated recently or has only reviewed a narrow range of products/services, this could indicate suspicious activity.
- Vague language – legitimate reviews will often be personal and specific to the individual’s experience of using the item, whilst a fake is more likely to be vague, using generic words and phrases such as ‘amazing’, ‘awesome’, ‘buy this product’.
- Can you contact them? – if a reviewer is happy to be contacted with questions, and is responsive, it’s a good sign they’re legitimate
- Use a browser plug-in – plug-ins use artificial intelligence to analyse reviews, identify suspicious activity and suggest better alternatives to consumers
- Look beyond the star rating – whilst a star rating of 4.5 or 5 can be a good indicator of quality, don’t go by this alone – look at the reviews too and check them against these tips.
Mike Andrews, National Co-ordinator, National Trading Standards eCrime Team said: “Bogus online reviews damage legitimate businesses and prop up those seeking to make a fast buck by selling shoddy goods. Many of those we surveyed said they felt deceived, conned and tricked after unwittingly falling for the fakes, often only realising the reviews were suspicious when it was too late. We urge those doing their Christmas shopping online to look out for fake online reviews and avoid being left out of pocket by using our tips.
“If you suspect you have lost money after being duped by a fake online review, you should report it to Action Fraud or seek advice from a Citizens Advice Scams Action adviser.”
The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) is currently leading an investigation into fake reviews, which includes a formal probe into Amazon and Google over concerns that they have not been doing enough to combat fake reviews on their sites.
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