A five-year study has found that consumers are being misled on an industrial scale
UK consumers should be on high alert when making crucial financial or lifestyle decisions based on companies’ online reviews, according to experts. TruthEngine, an independent platform specialising in detecting and preventing fake reviews, said its research, based on millions of datapoints and forensic analysis by a team of PhDs over a five-year period, indicated that just over 50% of online reviews were now fake.
Put simply, that means consumers are frequently navigating a system where what appears to be authentic feedback is far from it. The organisation said the issue spanned every sector – from estate agents, financial advisers and travel companies to online retailers, energy firms and telecoms providers, no area of the market was immune.
The problem, quite simply, was ubiquitous. Part of the challenge is behavioural, the researchers said. People who left reviews were far more inclined to do so following a negative experience than a positive one. That naturally distorted genuine feedback.
But compounding that was the increasing volume of manufactured reviews designed to artificially inflate ratings and sway purchasing decisions.
“Fake reviews have been an issue since online reviews became a thing just after the millennium and have been growing and getting more sophisticated ever since,” said TruthEngine CEO Daniel Mohacek. “But now, with the arrival of AI, the problem has become so big that it is effectively institutionalised within modern ecommerce. Brands large and small are complicit and people are being lied to on an industrial scale.”
Paradoxically, the ratings shoppers place the most faith in may now be the most unreliable, as AI is increasingly behind them.
Firms displaying near-flawless scores, especially those around 4.9 out of 5, warrant scepticism. TruthEngine suggests these are frequently the most obvious indicators of tampering.
By comparison, businesses with ratings between two and three stars are now viewed as more trustworthy, reflecting a more genuine balance of favourable and critical responses.
Daniel continued: “If it looks too good to be true, it usually is. When you see a brand with hundreds or even thousands of five-star reviews, that should be a massive red flag. It’s now less a reason to trust them than, increasingly, not to trust them.”
The problem has grown so severe that TruthEngine has introduced TruthMark, a verification badge given to companies whose reviews have been independently verified and thoroughly examined. While fake reviews may occasionally result in minor letdowns, such as a disappointing restaurant or lacklustre hotel, the dangers are considerably higher in other areas. Shoppers are progressively making choices about health products, financial services and children’s items based on reviews that may be fabricated.
Daniel said: “It’s one thing when a restaurant has duped you into buying a meal through fake reviews, but it’s another thing altogether when you buy a product that could put your or your loved ones’ lives at risk. And this is where things get very serious.”
