Consumers warned about fake online reviews as holiday shopping season begins

As the holiday season approaches, consumers are being urged to exercise caution when relying on online reviews for gifts and decorations. The Better Business Bureau (BBB) has highlighted the prevalence of fake reviews, which are more common than many realize.

Cameron Nakashima from the BBB said, “Fake reviews are against the policy of Better Business Bureau, and we vet and filter out thousands of fake reviews submitted to our directory every year.”

Nakashima noted that many review platforms have begun implementing verification practices to combat the issue. Additionally, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) introduced a new rule earlier this year to address the legality of fake reviews.

Despite these efforts, a report from Business DIT estimates that 30% of online reviews are fake. Nakashima explained that the motivation behind fake reviews is financial, as businesses with more positive reviews are perceived as more trustworthy, leading to increased sales and higher search result rankings.

“There are a lot of legitimate ways to get good reviews,” Nakashima said. “But, this incentive also leads to a lot of less ethical people trying to cheat the system by adding fake reviews.”

The FTC reported that fake reviews can result in a 20-fold payoff for businesses. To help consumers identify fake reviews, Nakashima advised being wary of generic reviews, those with a sales pitch, or reviews from new accounts with numerous posts.

“If you can tell a review is fake or if it is suspicious, the FTC has actually recently put new policies in place to crack down on fake reviews, so report those to FTC.GOV,” Nakashima said.

For more holiday shopping tips, the BBB directs consumers to visit BBB.org.