Facebook, Google And Trustpilot ‘Failing To Deal With Fake Reviews’

Unscrupulous brokers are continuing to infiltrate Facebook, Google and Trustpilot with fake reviews, according to a report from consumer group Which?. After setting up a fake business online – PCR testing firm ‘Gold Lion Labs’ – Which? approached a fake review broker, Xealme, which offered reviews on all three sites. The firm claimed to have created nearly 16,000 reviews for a total of 570 customers, and said it offers its services in nearly every country in the world.

And, on Facebook, Gold Lion Labs amassed 19 five-star reviews from fake profiles in just five days. After Which? approached Facebook, it initially removed just 18 of the profiles, taking nearly a month to get rid of the rest. On Trustpilot, meanwhile, reviews were added more slowly, but still amounted to 19 after three weeks, giving it a ‘TrustScore’ of 4.6. And after a week, there were 19 reviews on Google too.

“Facebook, Google and Trustpilot are failing to do enough to shut out a fake reviews industry that has been thriving and profiting from misleading reviews for years now,” says Rocio Concha, Which? director of policy and advocacy. “Facebook in particular has repeatedly been slow to act in tackling fake reviews, showing a complete disregard for consumers who want to read genuine reviews.”

Trustpilot says it identified and removed more than 2.7 million fake and misleading reviews out of a total 46.7 million posted last year. “In the last 18 months, we have introduced new technology that allows us to understand complex patterns of potential misuse and to track this back to identify review sellers and buyers,” says a spokesperson.

“This has enabled us to launch legal action against companies that are buying fake reviews, and work with other social media platforms to remove review sellers. Additionally, we now offer an option for consumers to verify their identity on Trustpilot.” The company says it’s issued a Cease and Desist letter against Xealme, which has now removed all pages offering fake reviews on the site.

Meanwhile, Facebook says it’s investigating the accounts highlighted by Which?. “We have dedicated extensive time and resources to tackling this issue and will continue to do so,” says a spokesperson. “Fraudulent and deceptive activity is not allowed on our platforms, including offering or trading fake reviews. Our safety and security teams are continuously working to help prevent these practices.”

Earlier this year, the UK government announced plans for a new Digital Markets, Competition and Consumer Bill that would ban the selling or advertising of fake reviews and require platforms to check whether reviews are genuine. The Competition and Markets Authority would be given the power to directly fine companies up to 10 per cent of their global annual turnover, and require consumers to be compensated without having to go through lengthy court proceedings.

Which? is calling for the legislation to be pushed through without delay. We’ve approached Google for comment, and will update if we receive a reply.

Emma Woollacott

I’ve been writing about technology for most of my adult life, focusing mainly on legal and regulatory issues. I write for a wide range of publications

Source: Facebook, Google And Trustpilot ‘Failing To Deal With Fake Reviews’

Critics by Which? Team

Fake reviews aren’t always easy to spot, but pose a significant and persistent problem for websites that host customer reviews, and customers who rely on them to make a purchase. Our research and investigations have exposed a range of ways fakers manipulate customer scores to cheat their way to the top. But while their techniques are often sophisticated, there are things you can do to stay one step ahead. Read on for our top tips on spotting a fake review.

Actually read the reviews Don’t just go by the overall score to make an impulse purchase. Read through the reviews, and keep an eye out for anything suspicious. Does the review have an extremely high percentage of five-star reviews? Consider how likely it is that so many people found the product to be ‘perfect’. Is the reviewer going over the top about the product in the language? For some this may be natural, but if it happens a lot, be wary. Do lots of reviews include pictures or videos? Our investigations have found this is a common request from sellers who incentivise positive reviews. Does the review include specifics about the experience with the product?

Real reviewers will often want to go into detail about their experience. Check the dates. If a lot of the reviews were posted at the same time, the seller might have used one of a range of methods to drum up positive feedback through incentivisation. Ignore the five-star ratings In the vast majority of cases, fakers request or manipulate reviews to ensure they get a full, five-star rating. One way to get a more balanced view of a product is to ignore these altogether – check the four, three and two star reviews and it’s likely you’ll be getting more honest opinions.

Fake reviewers have ways of manipulating reviews so they appear more helpful, and move to the top of the default list where they’re most likely to be seen. You can change the sort order from ‘Top reviews’ to ‘Most recent’ to get a more reliable idea of the most recent reviewer experiences. While many smaller brands that you don’t recognise could be honest start-ups trying to find an audience in a crowded market, others attempt to take shortcuts to jump to the top of the listings. Time and again we’ve found fake reviews on brands we didn’t recognise, and on most occasions it’s difficult or impossible to get in touch with the brand to find out more.

If you don’t recognise a brand, check online to see if it has a legitimate looking website, with clear contact details so you can get in touch if anything goes wrong. You could even try calling or emailing the seller with a question, to see how quickly they respond. Spotting fake or incentivised reviews isn’t easy. But there are things you can look out for, including whether someone mentions being offered a gift card or refund in the review, or was asked to change a negative review. Often people will reference this in negative reviews to try and warn other buyers, but you can also use the search box above reviews on Amazon to look for key terms, like ‘bribe’ or ‘warning’.

Negative reviews can be eye-openers. Some might complain about the product failing over time, have a negative opinion about the style or feel, or even cite issues with delivery or customer service – problems that might not necessarily apply to everyone. On the other hand, consistent criticism of quality, a specific aspect of functionality, or surprise that so many reviews are so positive could be seen as more of a warning sign. Look out for any evidence that reviews are incentivised, perhaps with the offer of a gift card or a full or partial refund. And look out for patterns.

If a seller gets a bad review then a flurry of positive reviews, it’s possible they’re trying to bury the bad one and bring back up their average score. It can also be useful to check feedback on the seller for insights on how other customers found the service. If someone hasn’t read the book, used the product, or visited the location, why are they reviewing it? Most people would wait to try something before recommending it or dissuading other people from buying it too. Often, the reviewer will promise to change or update their review after they’ve tried it, but almost never will.