How to spot a fake review online

New FTC rule on banning fake reviews

The FTC's final ruling -- released on Aug. 14, 2024 -- sets new regulations and guidelines for online stores, including big retailers, such as Amazon, and independent online stores. The ruling also addressed social media review practices.

In its ruling, the FTC banned several deceptive review and advertising practices, including the following:

• Fake reviews from people who do not exist. Fake reviews -- including AI-generated product reviews, reviews by those without product experience or reviews that misrepresent the product -- are prohibited. The rule also extends to businesses, prohibiting them from creating or selling these types of fake reviews or spreading reviews they know -- or should know -- to be fake.
• Buying reviews. Businesses are not allowed to buy reviews of any kind. Under the rule, businesses can't provide any type of compensation or incentive to write a review with any sentiment, whether positive or negative. This applies to any incentive, regardless of whether it was explicitly or implicitly communicated. This means a company offering incentives, such as a gift card for a positive review about what a consumer "loves" about a product, falls under this rule.
• Insider reviews. Reviews or testimonials written by company insiders that do not "clearly and conspicuously" disclose their connection to the business are prohibited, and businesses are banned from disseminating these reviews. The rule applies to employees, such as managers or officers, and anyone financially involved in the company, such as contractors. Additionally, the rule imposes requirements if a manager requests reviews from immediate relatives or asks employees to do the same.
• Controlled review sites. The final rule prohibits a business from misrepresenting that a website or entity it controls provides independent reviews or opinions about a category of products or services that includes its products or services.
• Review suppression. Any suppression of authentic reviews, including unfounded legal threats, physical threats or intimidation to suppress a negative review, is prohibited. Businesses are also banned from suppressing reviews on a website based on negative sentiment or rating and misleading consumers into thinking that a small portion of reviews make up all or most of the reviews.
• Fake social media indicators. The ruling prohibits anyone from buying or selling indicators of influence -- any performance metrics that imply success or large influence -- on social media, including followers, likes or views that are not from real people, such as bots and hijacked accounts. However, the rule is limited. It is only a violation if the buyer "knew or should have known" that indicators were fake, according to the ruling.

How to spot a fake review

1. Word choice

One sign of a fake review is generic word choice and vague or basic descriptions. Although the words and sentiment might be positive, the descriptions offer little context or specifics about the product. Authentic reviews are more likely to use straightforward language and concrete details, such as the following:

• I recommend.
• Great product.
• This product changed my life.

Fake reviews may also overuse personal pronouns, such as "me" or "I."

2. Reviewer's name

Most sites require users to provide a name and other details to leave a review, so pay attention to the reviewer's name to help identify fake reviews. Many fake reviews use a first name, middle initial and last name, such as "John M. Roberts," while many authentic reviews forego the middle initial or spell it out completely.

Another telltale sign is a generic or overly common name, such as John Smith or Jane Doe. A display name containing only a series of letters and numbers is also a sign that the review is likely fake.

3. Overwhelming positive or negative sentiment

In honest reviews, reviewers typically give well-rounded opinions on the product, including what they like and don't like. So, reviews with an unnaturally positive or negative spin on the product, such as "this product has saved my life," may indicate that the review is not real.

4. Additional reviews

For some websites, users can go to a profile page and look at other reviews written by the same person. Going to a reviewer's profile to look at their other reviews can help see if there are any repeating patterns or behaviors in other reviews.

When looking at a user's review history, watch for similar phrases used repeatedly or a pattern of 100% positive reviews, such as several five-star reviews, or 100% negative. A profile with only one review -- combined with other signs of a false review -- can also be a red flag.

5. Profile picture

Paying attention to a reviewer's profile picture can give consumers a clue about how real the review may be. A fake reviewer may have no profile picture, which can be a signal, especially when combined with a generic name. However, another red flag can be a profile picture that looks too professional, polished or generic, which can indicate a fake photo, such as a stock image or an AI-generated photo.

6. Grammar and spelling

Poor spelling and grammar can indicate a fake profile, especially if there are several significant errors. However, overly formal grammar can also be a signal that a review could be fake, especially to the point where the writing sounds unnatural or doesn't match the tone of the review.

Alison Roller is a freelance writer with experience in tech, HR and marketing.