7 Ways to Spot Fake Product Reviews on Amazon

With the promise of same-day delivery, Amazon is definitely a star in the online shopping world. However, diversity in products can also mean diversity in product reviews. But this begs the question: Are some of the Amazon reviews fake? If yes, how can you spot fake product reviews on Amazon? Let’s find out together.

Due to Amazon’s algorithm, products with higher reviews and ratings tend to be preferred. However, this also means that if Amazon sellers want a product to be noticed by buyers, they need to make sure there are extremely positive, highly rated reviews for that product. Sometimes, sellers offer free products or gift cards in exchange for a five-star review.

Furthermore, fake Amazon reviews are also used to cover up other negative reviews and ensure the product is visible. So here are 7 easy ways to spot fake product reviews on Amazon.

1. Searching for too many 5-star ratings

There was a time when we looked at the overall rating of a product and bought or at least viewed it. However, these extremely high product ratings, usually 4 stars and 5 stars, can be fake reviews that are posted in bulk to enhance the ratings of products and make them stand out to consumers.

So if the product on your shortlist has a huge amount of extremely high ratings, don’t trust them. Set filters and see two or one-star reviews. If there are too many of them, that’s a red flag. Avoid buying the product.

2. Check for similar words or phrases in reviews

Normally, genuine reviews for any product should contain product related descriptions such as whether the product is sturdy enough, good material or workmanship, product size, etc. However, fake Amazon reviews often have repetitive and generic words like excellent, great, good, etc.

This can also be the case with the title and description of the review, which remains extremely vague throughout.

You can also double-check the reviews of said product for poor grammar, inaccuracies, and a writing style that’s too flattering but doesn’t have any details about the product itself. And if a review fits all of these criteria, you can assume it’s a fake review.

3. Review Timestamp Lookup

On Amazon, fake reviews are often posted very close to each other. This may be because sellers often buy reviews in bulk or in bundles. So once the fake reviewers get to work, they can post reviews in bulk.

This means there will be a lot of dubious, overrated reviews in a short time. These reviews can also bury real Amazon reviews.

Bulk posting can happen all at once or in batches. So you can also look for erratic review patterns, depending on the date they were all posted.

4. Use Filters to Find Recent or Top Reviews

Amazon allows users to filter out reviews based on two parameters: Top Reviews and Most Recent. Usually, when a user finds any review helpful, they can click the Helpful button nearby to let others know. This can also push the review to the top along with other detailed reviews with images. Below such reviews you can see exactly how many people find this review helpful.

You can also check out the most recent reviews left for the product. Now compare the most recent review with the top review. When sellers do fake reviews, they mostly leave reviews and don’t advertise already-existing reviews.

So, if you’ve noticed a sudden influx of extremely positive reviews, but all the top reviews are negative, it might be time to explore other products. Alternatively, you can report those comments.

5. Look for competitor references

With Amazon wary, fake reviewers have also changed tack. To make the review look authentic, they are adding references to competitor products. Sometimes, these references mainly compare similar products of other brands, while leaving a positive review for said product.

However, things can go awry when some reviewers go into the review section and recommend other products while bringing down the current product. When this happens, stay alert and look for other unbiased reviews.

6. Check reviews on other sites

If you can’t separate fake reviews from real reviews but feel like something is wrong, check other sites as well. A quick Google search will give you links to all the other sites the product is listed on. Check out a few of these sites and check out the product reviews there. Make sure you’re looking for the right product.

Additionally, some YouTube channels now include product reviews, unboxing, etc., which can help you get an unbiased view of the product. You can then make your purchase decision.

7. Use a third-party website or browser extension

If you feel like there are too many paid reviews for a product, you can also use some of Amazon’s fake review checker sites, like ReviewMeta. They will analyze and check all the reviews for the relevant product. When the report is ready, they will let you know how many reviews they claim have been paid. They will also show the original product rating after excluding fake reviews.

So, follow the steps below to use ReviewMeta to scan and check for fake Amazon reviews.

Step 1: Open the ReviewMeta website on any web browser.

Open reviewMeta

Step 2: In the search bar, copy and paste the link for the relevant Amazon product page and press enter.

Step 3: Once the review analysis report is ready, check the rate of fake reviews.

If there are too many fake reviews showing up, it’s better to choose another brand or product listing on Amazon. You can also use Fakespot to spot fake Amazon reviews.

FAQ for spotting fake Amazon reviews

1. Are verified reviews trustworthy on Amazon?

While the Verified Purchase tag is generally trusted on Amazon, there have been cases of fake reviews being posted with the Verified Purchase tag. So when you find verified reviews on Amazon, use the methods above to check if they are genuine.

2. Can you report fake reviews on Amazon?

Yes, you can report fake reviews on Amazon to help other shoppers. When you spot fake reviews and shady Amazon ratings, go to the review and click Report. When the relevant page opens, click Submit. This will immediately report the review to Amazon.

Stay alert

We hope this article helped you spot fake product reviews on Amazon. Also, if you discover that the product you ordered is fake, you can cancel your Amazon order to avoid trouble.

Categories: How to
Source: thpttranhungdao.edu.vn/en/