Consumer reviews
Unscrupulous brokers are continuing to infiltrate Facebook, Google and Amazon 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.
