Fake online reviews are ‘bypassing checks’

Fake five-star reviews are bypassing checks on Facebook, Google and Trustpilot, an investigation found. Bogus write-ups are being flogged for as little as £4, says Which?.

The consumer champion set up a fake business and filled posts with reports bought from brokers found through Google.

In five days it racked up 19 five-star reviews on Facebook for its made-up business Gold Lion Labs which claimed to offer PCR testing services.

And when it looked into the profiles of the reviewers, it found they all reviewed a selection of the same businesses on Facebook. A similar ruse notched up 19 misleading fivestar reviews and a 4.6 TrustScore on Trustpilot.

More than a thousand misleading reviews have been removed.

A spokesman for Facebook owner Meta said they were “working to prevent these practices”. Google is is “blocking accounts associated with malicious activity”. And Trustpilot said: “We have introduced technology that allows us to understand complex patterns of potential misuse.”