As the holiday season ends, it’s likely that you’ve already bought your gifts, and hopefully, they’ve been legitimate in their advertised quality! However, a recent analysis of over 33 million Amazon product reviews has revealed a startling truth – a whopping 43% of them are fake. With the festive season presenting increased cybercrime risks and the pressure to make wise purchasing decisions, we must exercise caution when relying on online reviews, and to not fall for this crafty scam.

 

The Stats of the Scam

A comprehensive study conducted by the London-based delivery software company Circuit delved into the world of Amazon reviews. The findings were staggering, with almost half of the 33.5 million reviews for bestselling products turning out to be fraudulent. Surprisingly, 58% of shoppers admitted skepticism toward five-star ratings, yet 43% confessed that they wouldn’t consider buying a product with less than four stars.

The study uncovered that certain product categories are more susceptible to fake reviews than others. In the realm of computers and electronics, where reliability is paramount, over half of the 2.6 million reviews were deemed unreliable. However, the fashion realm, particularly clothes, shoes, and jewelry, emerged as the most affected, with a staggering 88% of the 4.5 million reviews being fake.

While the study highlighted Amazon-branded products and Apple as the frontrunners in unreliable reviews, it emphasized that this doesn’t necessarily implicate these companies in misleading consumers. Third-party sellers attempting to manipulate ratings were identified as contributing factors. Notable brands like Hanes and Crocs also stood out, accumulating hundreds of thousands of fake reviews.

Despite the prevalence of fake reviews, consumers can still make informed decisions. Merritt Ryan from Circuit emphasized the importance of considering both positive and negative feedback.

Genuine insights can be gleaned by paying attention to detailed reviews that discuss a product’s pros and cons based on the reviewer’s actual experience. Verified purchase labels, confirming that the reviewer bought the product from Amazon, also serve as authenticity indicators.

 

The Response

In response to the surge in fake scam reviews, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) proposed a ban on such deceptive practices. Amazon, too, took legal action against fake reviewers and implemented policy changes to combat the issue. However, recent reports of fake listings, like a counterfeit Xbox Series X console on Amazon’s German marketplace, serve as reminders that the battle against fake reviews is ongoing.

As the holiday shopping season kicks into high gear, consumers must be vigilant and discerning in their online purchases. While fake reviews may cast a shadow, arming oneself with knowledge and a discerning eye can still lead to successful and satisfying holiday shopping experiences.

One such way of doing this, is by carefully checking the credibility of the reviewer in question, and what they have actually said about the advertised product- fake reviews usually aren’t too wordy, and don’t go into much detail or depth about why they highly recommend said product. As for other scams on the internet, increasing your knowledge of phishing is crucial to being prepared against the many cyber threats out there.

We hope you’ve enjoyed this blog. Be sure to watch out for our future weekly blog releases and thanks for reading!