Fake Reviews Face One Star Future Under Amazon Pledge
Fake reviews face stronger detection and sanctions after Amazon gave undertakings to the UK competition regulator. Five star tributes to bin liners may soon require more than passion, a laptop and an invoice from marketing.
The commitments cover businesses that boost ratings and users who post invented praise. Consequently, “changed my life” must now describe either a medical device or an exceptionally persuasive vegetable peeler.
The CMA says new consumer law explicitly bans fake reviews. Its estimate suggests online reviews influence £23 billion of UK spending each year, which is a great deal of money to place in the hands of somebody called TopGearFan1984 reviewing face cream.
Verification reaches the miracle cable
“I bought this cable for my husband and our marriage is communicating again,” said Cynthia Verified Purchase, Senior Enthusiast for Sponsored Coincidence. “Sadly, the plug was not included, which I have awarded five stars for spiritual reasons.”
Amazon must improve detection and sanction offenders. This creates an arms race between sophisticated monitoring systems and a man named Kev who has reviewed eight thousand mattresses since Tuesday, each one “surprisingly life affirming”.
Meanwhile, genuine shoppers still face the useful feedback category known as “perfect”. It is often followed by a photograph of a completely different toaster, taken in what appears to be a police evidence room.
The CMA can tackle consumer breaches directly under the new regime. However, the review economy remains optimistic. Every product can still be “better than expected”, including the enforcement notice explaining why the account has disappeared.
Finally, suspicious reviewers learned their accounts could face punishment. They immediately posted that the enforcement was awful, arrived late and looked nothing like the picture, despite receiving it free.
Read the real story: the CMA announcement on Amazon and fake reviews
