MILLIONS of Black Friday shoppers searching for bargains risk being conned by fake customer reviews. One in seven online testimonials are in fact false, according to government data. Advertisement 4 If you fall for a bogus review then you could end up wasting your money on poor or even dangerous products.
Charlotte Sheridan, founder of The Small Biz Expert, which helps its clients get genuine reviews, says: “Unfortunately, there are a lot of fake reviews online, so it’s always best to delve a bit deeper, especially if you’re parting with a lot of money.” This Black Friday week, Mel Hunter reveals how to spot them. HOW DO FAKES HAPPEN? INCREASINGLY, AI-generated posts are cropping up online.
Advertisement Read More on Money SALE AWAY Homebase puts 74 sites up for sale after tumbling into administration - full list WHAT A PORKER! I tried supermarkets' pigs in blankets for Xmas & found an unexpected winner It affects companies big and small. In 2023 alone, Amazon — which claims it has “zero tolerance” for fake reviews — blocked 250million of the posts. A new law, the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act, is due to come into force in April next year, banning fake reviews and making companies responsible for checking them.
But in practice they can be hard to spot — and difficult to police. Advertisement Most read in Money FESTIVE BEER Full list of Wetherspoons opening in Scotland on Xmas Day, is one near you? WINTER WONDERLAND First look inside award-wi.
