How to Recognize Fake Reviews
Reviews act as ‘social proof’ of a brand being considered worthy enough to be trusted or not. They are amongst the most important sources of information to determine whether the website is selling what they promise, if they offer good service and whether the company respects its customers. Reviews empower customers to tell everyone who is interested in their experience and pass on knowledge. Reviews can even be the deciding factor for a consumer to engage with a business. Clearly, reviews are an important part of the online presence of a brand, whether they cater to consumers online or offline.
Fake Review Market is Growing
Given the importance of online reviews, there are people who try to make money by writing reviews for businesses. They usually write on third-party platforms like Google, TrustPilot, TripAdvisor or social media sites. There are companies that charge hefty amounts for writing reviews and increasing social media followers. Reviews by accounts with good standing on review websites even fetch a premium. Fake online reviews are a growing industry, much to the detriment of consumers.
The below price table demonstrates how easy and cheap it can be for companies to build a facade of having a good reputation, thanks to fake reviews. Prices for reviews can vary depending on factors such as the account’s location, account’s age and effort put into the review. There are several companies charging less than the below prices as they are usually based in developing countries and use bots or hacked accounts to bombard pages with reviews. On the other hand, some may charge more but provide higher-quality reviews from genuine accounts (influencers).
Price table
Google reviews
- 5 reviews - $30
- 10 reviews - $60
- 20 reviews - $110
- 50 reviews - $240
- 100 reviews - $500
- 200 reviews - $950
TrustPilot reviews
- 5 reviews - $45
- 10 reviews - $80
- 20 reviews - $160
Instagram Followers
- 500 Followers - $8
- 100 Followers - $14
- 200 reviews - $24
- 5,000 Followers - $60
- 10,000 Followers - $120
Due to the widespread availability of these services, it comes down to us - the consumers - to spot whether the review is fake or not. However, it is relatively difficult to distinguish fake reviews from genuine ones.
Tips for Spotting Fake Reviews
Fake reviews may have some telltale signs that make them stand apart from real reviews:
- Me and I: More often than not, fake reviews include many personal pronouns. This way they try to make themselves more credible
- Scene: Truthful reviews usually include specific details like curtains in the bathroom, the grip of the shaver etc. On the other hand, fake reviews try to set a scene like “vacation”, “my friend” or “does a great job”
- Profile: One of the easiest ways is to check the profile of the reviewer. There are two kinds of fake reviewers that are easy to spot - new accounts created just to write a review and users with only 5-star reviews. For both, check the picture, name and additional information. These accounts often use stolen images, fake names and write reviews for related businesses or companies in the same field.
- Timing: If there are many great reviews in a short time window or equal intervals, be cautious. However, consider discount sales and holiday periods, or the release of a new product as it is normal for there to be a surge in reviews after such events
- Verified purchases: Check if the reviewer can prove that they bought a good or service. The ‘verified purchase’ tag indicates that the review is written by an actual customer. These reviews have higher credibility, but can still be faked
- Language: Check for unnatural phrases and mistakes. Check multiple reviews to compare if they use the same logic or writing style. Generous use of superlatives such as ‘life-changing’ or ‘greatest in history’ can be an indication of a fake review
Contact the reviewer: Some review sites allow you to reach out to reviewers. Use this to ask about their experience. Fake reviewers never respond and genuine ones will probably do so.
Nonetheless, Scamadviser.com looks deeper than reviews and estimates a score based on various data points such as the site’s age, originating country, nature of business and more.
If you want to learn more about reviews and try yourself with a quiz, we recommend these sites: Theconversation.com and marketwatch.com. We also recommend the YouTube channel Fake Review Watch (see one of the great analysis videos below).
Related Articles
Report a Scam!
Have you fallen for a hoax, bought a fake product? Report the site and warn others!
Scam Categories
Help & Info
Popular Stories
As the influence of the internet rises, so does the prevalence of online scams. There are fraudsters making all kinds of claims to trap victims online - from fake investment opportunities to online stores - and the internet allows them to operate from any part of the world with anonymity. The ability to spot online scams is an important skill to have as the virtual world is increasingly becoming a part of every facet of our lives. The below tips will help you identify the signs which can indicate that a website could be a scam. Common Sense: Too Good To Be True When looking for goods online, a great deal can be very enticing. A Gucci bag or a new iPhone for half the price? Who wouldn’t want to grab such a deal? Scammers know this too and try to take advantage of the fact. If an online deal looks too good to be true, think twice and double-check things. The easiest way to do this is to simply check out the same product at competing websites (that you trust). If the difference in prices is huge, it might be better to double-check the rest of the website. Check Out the Social Media Links Social media is a core part of ecommerce businesses these days and consumers often expect online shops to have a social media presence. Scammers know this and often insert logos of social media sites on their websites. Scratching beneath the surface often reveals this fu
So the worst has come to pass - you realise you parted with your money too fast, and the site you used was a scam - what now? Well first of all, don’t despair!! If you think you have been scammed, the first port of call when having an issue is to simply ask for a refund. This is the first and easiest step to determine whether you are dealing with a genuine company or scammers. Sadly, getting your money back from a scammer is not as simple as just asking. If you are indeed dealing with scammers, the procedure (and chance) of getting your money back varies depending on the payment method you used. PayPal Debit card/Credit card Bank transfer Wire transfer Google Pay Bitcoin PayPal If you used PayPal, you have a strong chance of getting your money back if you were scammed. On their website, you can file a dispute within 180 calendar days of your purchase. Conditions to file a dispute: The simplest situation is that you ordered from an online store and it has not arrived. In this case this is what PayPal states: "If your order never shows up and the seller can't provide proof of shipment or delivery, you'll get a full refund. It's that simple." The scammer has sent you a completely different item. For example, you ordered a PlayStation 4, but instead received only a Playstation controller. The condition of the item was misrepresented on the product page. This could be the
