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With new legislation looming in the UK, fake reviews are still rife on Facebook, new research from Which? shows.
With the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumer Bill soon to be published, companies could face huge fines if they fail to tackle fake reviews on their sites. And, says Which?, its latest investigation has uncovered more than a dozen groups trading fake glowing reviews for Amazon, Google and Trustpilot in exchange for free products or payment. These groups shared more than 62,000 members between them.
"Despite previous interventions by the regulator, our latest findings suggest an industry dedicated to fake review trading continues to thrive on Facebook, leaving consumers exposed to misleading information on some of the world’s biggest review and shopping platforms," says Rocio Concha, Which? director of policy and advocacy.
"The Digital Markets, Competition and Consumer Bill - including strong enforcement and tough penalties for platforms that fail in their legal responsibilities - is sorely-needed to tackle fake reviews and ensure consumers have protections fit for the digital age."
One group, Amazon Top Reviews, told Which? researchers that a refund would be given after a five-star review. The products offered for review included earbuds, a fitness watch, a solar-powered sprinkler, curtains and a weighted hula hoop.
Meanwhile, the description of the ‘Trustpilot review Support’ group, started in January, and with 149 members, reads "We are here to boost your businesses by placing 5 star positive review" - strictly against Trustpilot’s terms and conditions.
And Which? calls out Facebook for inadequate warnings - while a search for ‘AMZ reviews’ now comes with a warning that the term is associated with fraudulent behavior, a search for ‘Amazon reviews’ does not.
Facebook says it's removed the groups highlighted by Which?, with Amazon, Google and Trustpilot all saying that they've taken legal action against offenders in the past.
"Last year alone, we submitted 76 takedown requests to social media platforms - including Meta - to ask for the removal of groups, pages and accounts associated with review selling and other attempts to abuse our platform," Trustpilot says in a statement.
"Continued efforts by our Fraud & Investigations and Legal teams ensured 60 abusive accounts and posts were successfully taken down in the same year - and this work is ongoing. We welcome conversations with social media platforms on how we can work closer together to tackle this issue on an ongoing basis."
Last April, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) was given greater powers to crack down on fake online reviews, with the power to fine firms up to ten per cent of their global turnover.
"The apparent ease with which unscrupulous businesses and individuals continue to operate these groups show why it is crucial that the legislation is not watered down and includes strong incentives for platforms to be proactive about cracking down on this activity," says Which?.
"The CMA must be prepared to actively monitor social media for this activity and stand ready to take strong action when platforms fail to stamp out illegal behavior."
