What are Fake Reviews?
Fake reviews are reviews that are not written by genuine customers who have purchased and used the product. They are often created by the seller themselves, or by someone who is paid or incentivized by the seller to write a positive or negative review. Fake reviews can be used to boost the ratings and rankings of a product, or to sabotage the competitors’ products.
Fake reviews can be hard to detect, as they may use sophisticated language, fake identities, and fake purchase verification. However, there are some signs that can help you identify a fake review, such as:
- The review is too vague, generic, or irrelevant to the product.
- The review is too positive or negative, without providing enough details or evidence.
- The review uses unnatural or exaggerated language, such as excessive praise, hype, or emotion.
- The review is posted on the same day or within a short period of time as other similar reviews.
- The review mentions or promotes other products or brands.
- The reviewer has a suspicious profile, such as no other reviews, no profile picture, or a fake name.
How to Check Fake Amazon Reviews?
One of the easiest ways to check fake Amazon reviews is to use online tools that analyze the reviews and ratings of a product and provide an adjusted score based on their authenticity. Some of the popular tools are:
- Fakespot rates how reliable product pages are on Amazon, Best Buy, eBay, Sephora, and Walmart. Fakespot’s algorithm looks at reviews and reviewers, analyzing language, previous reviews, and purchase history to determine trustworthiness. Just copy the URL of the page in question and paste it into the Fakespot Analyzer to investigate a link.
- ReviewMeta analyzes Amazon product reviews and filters out reviews that our algorithm detects may be unnatural. ReviewMeta.com is completely independent of Amazon. We are NOT a replacement for reading reviews; we’re an Amazon review checker tool that analyzes reviews and helps improve your shopping experience. Our review analysis does not guarantee whether or not fake reviews are or are not present – we’re simply showing you some detailed stats and making an educated guess.
- Question Answering is a tool that can answer specific questions about a product based on the reviews and ratings. For example, you can ask “How long does the battery last?” or “Is it easy to install?” and the tool will try to find the most relevant answer from the reviews. This can help you verify the claims and features of the product.
- The Review Index not only detects and marks fake reviews, but also provides helpful summaries of reviews based on different features of each product.
There are more several ways to know if a review is real on Amazon, such as:
- Checking the reviewer’s profile and history for signs of bias or inconsistency,
- Comparing the reviews across different products and sellers to see if they are too similar or generic,
- Looking for unnatural language, spelling errors, or irrelevant details in the reviews,
- Reporting any suspicious reviews to Amazon for investigation and removal
How to Avoid Fake Reviews on Amazon
Besides spotting and reporting fake reviews on Amazon, there are some other steps you can take to avoid falling for them and wasting your money. Here are some suggestions:
- Compare products from different sellers and brands. Don’t rely on just one product page or one source of information. Look at similar products from different sellers and brands, and compare their features, prices, ratings, and reviews. You may find a better deal or a more trustworthy product elsewhere.
- Read the product description and specifications carefully. Fake reviews may exaggerate or lie about the product’s features, benefits, or performance. To avoid disappointment, make sure you read the product description and specifications carefully, and check if they match what the reviewers are saying. Look for clear and accurate information, and avoid vague or misleading claims.
- Look at the product images and videos. Fake reviews may use stock photos or images from other sources to make the product look better than it is. To get a more realistic impression of the product, look at the product images and videos provided by the seller and the reviewers. Pay attention to the details, such as the size, color, texture, and quality of the product. You can also use a reverse image search tool to see if the images are original or not.
- Check the seller’s reputation and policies. Fake reviews may be used by shady sellers to scam customers or sell low-quality products. To avoid being ripped off, check the seller’s reputation and policies before buying anything. Look at their feedback score, ratings, reviews, and customer service. See if they offer a warranty, a return policy, or a money-back guarantee. Avoid sellers who have a lot of negative feedback, complaints, or unresolved issues.
- Use Amazon’s customer support and dispute resolution. If you do end up buying a product that is not as described, defective, or damaged, you can use Amazon’s customer support and dispute resolution to get help. You can contact the seller directly and ask for a refund, a replacement, or a repair. You can also contact Amazon’s customer service and file an A-to-z Guarantee claim if the seller does not respond or resolve the issue. Amazon will investigate the case and may issue a full or partial refund.
Did Amazon Remove Fake Reviews?
Amazon has been taking various steps to stop fake reviews and remove them from its store. For example, Amazon proactively blocked over 200 million suspected fake reviews in 2020 alone and sued fake review brokers who attempted to profit from generating misleading and fraudulent reviews. Amazon also uses machine learning and expert investigators to detect and prevent fake reviews. However, it is not clear how many fake reviews have been successfully removed by Amazon or how effective its measures are in eliminating the problem of fake reviews. Therefore, it is still advisable for consumers to be vigilant and use third-party tools or methods to spot fake reviews on Amazon.
How to Report Fake Amazon Reviews?
If you come across a review that you believe is fake, you can report it to Amazon, and mark it for investigation and possible removal. Just click the Report abuse link under the review. Amazon takes fake reviews seriously and has a dedicated team to monitor and remove them. However, Amazon cannot catch every fake review, so it is up to the customers to be vigilant and informed.
