There’s a big issue with fake review trading on Facebook according to Which? investigation

People buy products and are incentivised to leave positive reviews with offers of refunds 
Nick Ansell/PA Archive/PA Images
Amelia Heathman13 August 2020

Facebook receives plenty of criticism for not cracking down on rogue content on the platform, yet it's taking steps to rectify this. Between April and June, the platform removed over seven million pieces of harmful and fake Covid-19 content and it's finally tackling posts containing depictions of blackface and anti-Semitic stereotypes.

One thing it’s failing to do enough on at the moment is fake review trading, according to a new investigation by Which?. The consumer rights organisation found that the platform is hosting the “blatant trading of fake reviews”, with dozens of groups filled with hundreds of thousands of members are using the site to boost products on Amazon.

By searching ‘Amazon review’ on the social network, Which? found that 16 of the top 25 groups were trading in reviews, with more than 200,000 members between them. In one group with 27,000 members, there were as many as 6,406 posts in a day.

People join these groups and then are directed to products which they buy, leave a positive review for it, and then are refunded the money. The types of products range from children’s toys, headphones, speakers, vacuum cleaners and beauty products.

Previous research by Which? has found that fake reviews can make consumers more likely to choose a product, particularly if it has a vast number of five-star ratings. However, people could be duped into buying poor quality or even unsafe products as a result.

“Our research shows that review trading groups continue to thrive on Facebook, leaving online shoppers at huge risk of being duped into buying products on Amazon that have been boosted by fake reviews,” said Which?’s head of home products and services, Natalie Hitchins.

A previous Competitions and Markets Authority investigation ordered the social network to crack down on these fake review groups. However, it appears group admins and members are modifying the words they use, such as ‘revie-ws’ and ‘r*efund’ so that Facebook’s AI doesn’t pick up on what they’re doing.

Facebook removed five of the groups during the investigation and a further 11 once it saw the Which? results. A company spokesperson said fraudulent activity is not allowed on the platform. “We have investigated and removed the groups brought to our attention, some of which were removed prior to Which? notifying us. We will continue to invest in technology and our safety and security teams to proactively prevent this kind of activity.”

 Sellers seek out positive reviews for products they sell via Amazon in Facebook groups
AFP via Getty Images

Amazon says it uses machine learning tools and investigators to analyse over 10 million review submissions a week. “We have clear policies for both reviewers and selling partners that prohibit abuse of our community features, and we suspend, ban, and take legal action against those who violate these policies,” said a spokesperson for the tech giant.

When it comes to looking out for fake reviews, Which? says to be wary of products with more reviews than any other in a category, particularly if its an unknown brand. Negative reviews are just as important, they may feature comments from other surprised at the number of positive reviews.

As well, it’s good to look at other websites selling a particular product and seeing what those reviews say to help you decide if it’s worth buying.

“The failure of sites like Facebook to crack down on bad practice underlines the need for online platforms to have more responsibility for content and activity on their sites.”

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