UK shoppers given 'serious' warning as 'half of online reviews are fake'

UK consumers should be on red alert when basing important financial or lifestyle decisions on companies’ online reviews, according to experts at TruthEngine , an independent platform specialising in the detection and prevention of fake reviews. It said its research, based on millions of datapoints and forensic analysis by a team of PhDs over a five-year period, suggested that just over 50% of online reviews were now fake. In simple terms, that means consumers are often navigating a system where what looks like genuine feedback is anything but.

It said the issue cut across every sector - from estate agents, financial advisers and travel companies to online retailers, energy firms and telecoms providers, no corner of the market was untouched. It said the problem, quite simply, was everywhere. Part of the issue is behavioural, the researchers said.

People who left reviews were far more likely to do so after a negative experience than a positive one. That naturally skewed genuine feedback. But layered on top of that was the growing volume of manufactured reviews designed to artificially boost ratings and influence buying decisions.

“Fake reviews have been an issue since online reviews became a thing just after the millennium and have been growing and getting more sophisticated ever since,” said TruthEngine CEO Daniel Mohacek.

“But now, with the arrival of AI, the problem has become so big that it is effectively institutionalised within modern ecommerce. Brands large and small are complicit and people are being lied to on an industrial scale." Ironically, the ratings many consumers trust the most may now be the least reliable.

Because AI, increasingly, is the author. Companies boasting near-perfect scores, particularly those hovering around 4.9 out of 5, should be treated with caution.

According to TruthEngine, these are often the clearest warning signs of manipulation. In contrast, businesses with ratings in the two to three-star range are increasingly seen as more credible, as they reflect a more natural mix of positive and negative feedback. Daniel added: “If it looks too good to be true, it usually is.

When you see a brand with hundreds or even thousands of five-star reviews, that should be a massive red flag. It’s now less a reason to trust them than, increasingly, not to trust them.” Such is the scale of the issue that TruthEngine has launched TruthMark, a verification stamp awarded to businesses whose reviews have been independently authenticated and rigorously audited.

While fake reviews can sometimes lead to minor disappointments, such as a mediocre restaurant or underwhelming hotel, the risks are far greater in other sectors. Consumers are increasingly making decisions about health products, financial services and children’s goods based on reviews that may not be real. Daniel said: “It’s one thing when a restaurant has duped you into buying a meal through fake reviews, but it’s another thing altogether when you buy a product that could put your or your loved ones’ lives at risk.

And this is where things get very serious.”