Fake TripAdvisor reviewer jailed

BOSSES at TripAdvisor have warned of a crackdown on fake online reviews after a man was jailed for selling false customer feedback to hotels and restaurants.

In a landmark case, the owner of a company called PromoSalento, which sold fake reviews to hospitality firms in Italy, has been jailed for nine months.

The initial investigation was triggered by TripAdvisor’s own fraud team, which found 1,000 attempts by the company to submit reviews for hundreds of businesses. These had the effect of pushing the firms up search rankings in a bid to increase business.

Writing fake reviews using a false identity is a crime under Italian law.

While it is the first time anyone has been jailed over fake reviews, TripAdvisor claims to have stopped the activities of more than 60 paid review companies.

The website said it would work with the Competition & Markets Authority in the UK and the Federal Trade Commission in the US to bring forward prosecutions.