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).