FTC warns businesses about fake reviews

Whether you’re hiring a contractor, looking for an apartment, or shopping online, chances are you check out online reviews first. Many people use reviews to see the honest opinions of other buyers — and companies rely on reviews to stand out from the crowd. But some companies write, post, or pay for fake reviews — and that hurts people and honest companies.

To protect consumers, the FTC monitors the marketplace and brings cases against companies using deceptive and unfair business practices. The agency recently sent warning letters to companies urging them to take a look at their reviews and remove any deceptive or misleading statements. The FTC’s letters remind companies that creating, buying, or posting fake reviews, or giving incentives for only positive reviews, may trigger enforcement actions and fines.

Here are some steps to take when you consider reviews:

• Look at a variety of sources and pay attention to whether a website or its reviews are independent or sponsored.
• Check how recent the reviews are and watch for a burst of reviews over a short period of time. That can sometimes mean the reviews are fake.
• Report fake reviews to the website or platform where they appear — like Google, Amazon, or Walmart, among others. Here’s how to report suspicious online reviews across some popular websites.

Be sure to tell the FTC about the fake reviews you spot at ReportFraud.ftc.gov. Follow the reporting path for whatever product or service you were looking at, and choose “Other” if you don’t see a path. Just be sure to include “fake review” in the comments field.