How to avoid fake product review scams
It took just a few short hours and Alice Beer was in - she was officially a ‘fake Amazon reviewer’. Alice was investigating Which? reports of Facebook groups that exist to recruit fake Amazon product reviews and found herself shocked at how far she got, and just how little time it took.
With the pandemic having us shopping online like never before, and with more and more of us turning to online reviews for advice… can we trust them after Alice found many to be fake?
Alice is here to tell us what she found out, and how to spot a fake review for yourself.
How to spot a fake review
1. Look for middle of the road reviews. Real reviewers rarely give five stars - and if they do they would explain why.
2. It's written by a profile with no clear owner or other reviews
3. The reviews are poorly written and obviously written by someone with poor language
4. Look at what else the review bought
5. Look for verified reviews - 'verified purchase' will appear next to the reviewer’s name
Alice's top tips for online shopping
1. Check the site is legitimate - check the URL, never pay without a 'padlock'
2. Check the contact details - there should be a geographical address
3. Look at the website's connection type - make sure it’s ‘secure’
4. If it seems too good or too cheap to be true, it probably is