Facebook ‘is failing to stop fake reviews’
... despite vow to protect shoppers
FACEBOOK is failing to crack down on fake review ‘factories’, despite pledging to stop online shoppers being misled.
The web giant promised the UK competition watchdog it would do more to stop false and misleading reviews being used on its platform seven months ago.
But despite agreeing to a clear set of actions, it is still not tackling the ‘blatant’ practice that can lead to shoppers unwittingly buying shoddy products, according to an investigation by consumer group Which?
The ‘factories’ typically consist of groups on Facebook where ‘agents’ ask users of the social media site to order a specified item on Amazon, write a review and share a link to the review once it’s published.
In return, the users are offered a refund, commission or free products. Many posts specifically request five-star ratings.
A quick search on Facebook for ‘Amazon review’ by Which? revealed 16 groups boasting hundreds of thousands of members. They were rife with posts requesting glowing feedback for products such as toys, pet accessories, home appliances and gadgets.
Which? said it had evidence the ‘agents’ had been successful in getting fake positive reviews to appear on Amazon.
For example, an Enacfire bluetooth speaker was listed in a Facebook group, with users promised a refund after their review was published. On Amazon Marketplace, the same product – which wasn’t being sold directly by Enacfire – had a massive 2,558 ratings and a customer score of 4.9 out of 5.
It also appeared as the top result on a search for ‘bluetooth speakers’, which had returned over 30,000 listings. This left shoppers vulnerable to being tricked into buying a product boosted by bogus positive feedback, Which? said.
It also found incentives offered for glowing reviews on two pieces of camping equipment, a Backture inflatable mat and a
Backture inflatable lounger. Both had the distinctive Amazon’s Choice label, which is supposed to act as a trusted mark of quality and is influenced by high overall star ratings.
Research by Which? recently showed that fake reviews can make shoppers more than twice as likely to choose a product.
Trading and posting fake reviews is illegal under consumer protection law.
Natalie Hitchins of Which? said: ‘Review trading groups continue to thrive on Facebook, leaving online shoppers at huge risk of being duped into buying products on Amazon that have been boosted by fake reviews. It is clear that Facebook has not lived up to its commitment to the Competition and Markets Authority and must urgently address the spate of fake review groups on its site.’ A CMA spokesman said: ‘We’ll look carefully at these worrying findings and raise them with Facebook as a matter of urgency.’
Facebook said: ‘Fraudulent activity is not allowed on our platforms, including offering or trading fake reviews. We have investigated and removed the groups brought to our attention.’ Amazon said: ‘Our objective is to ensure customers see authentic and relevant reviews so they can make better informed purchasing decisions.
‘We monitor all reviews for signs of abuse and quickly take action if we find an issue.’
‘Huge risk of being duped’