Christmas shoppers beware over fake online reviews UK shoppers have bought an estimated 80 million items on the basis of positive online reviews only to be disappointed when they arrive, National Trading Standards has warned. National Trading Standards said consumer trust in online reviews is fuelling a surge in criminals using them to sell poor quality goods and services. More than half of online shoppers (56%) use online reviews as a main factor when buying a product or service and 67% are more likely to buy a product or service if it has a five-star rating, Fake online reviews are estimated to potentially influence £23 billion of UK consumer spending every year, according to Government figures. However, National Trading Standards found just 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 – while only 18% look at reviewers’ activity history, which can provide useful information about whether they are genuine.
16
Some 97% of shoppers using online reviews do not use browser plug-ins such as Fakespot and ReviewMeta to detect bogus reviews. The Competition and Markets Authority is currently leading an investigation into fake reviews, which includes a formal probe into Amazon and Google over concerns they have not been doing enough to combat fake reviews on their sites. It follows action taken by the last year over the trading of fake reviews, which resulted in Facebook, Instagram and eBay removing groups and banning individuals for buying and selling fake reviews on their sites. National Trading Standards e-Crime team national co-ordinator Mike Andrews said in a statement online: “Bogus online reviews damage legitimate businesses and prop up those seeking to make a fast buck by selling shoddy goods.
