Good reviews are important to shoppers, as they can play a major role in purchasing. Sadly, e-commerce websites or sellers often add thousands of fake reviews to convince customers to purchase products.
According to Better Business Bureau regional director Sydney Waters, a generic reviewer profile is an initial sign of a fake review.
"If the reviewer has a generic name such as 'Jane Doe,' that's a red flag. Sometimes, they'll post under fake names, and it will be a series of letters and numbers. Very rarely do they even have a profile picture."
In addition, good reviews will explain why or why not the product is worth purchasing. If you notice that reviews contain generic language, irrelevant details, or are overly enthusiastic, they may be fake. Waters also warns that many fake reviews focus on creating a scene rather than discussing the product itself.
"A study by Cornell University found that truthful reviewers usually include concrete words relating to the product or service they purchased. Fake reviews like to set up a scene. For example, they may talk about how their husband visited a specific hotel for vacation or a business trip instead of focusing on the experience."
An easy way to spot a fake review is with misspellings or poor grammar. Oftentimes, companies outsource fake reviews to content farms, where people who are not native English speakers write them. Some platforms may have programs where they pre-release products to customers in exchange for reviews. While these programs can often be helpful, think twice if a review comes from someone who received a free product.
If the product has significantly fewer reviews than its competitors, it may not be reliable. Many third-party tools are available to customers to detect illegitimate reviews.
The Federal Trade Commission prohibits fake reviews. Report them to the e-commerce platform if you come across one.
