Cracking Down on Fake Reviews

After Dr. Mark J. Mohrmann completed a successful orthopedic procedure in 2019, his patient turned to Yelp, the review website, to share his appreciation.

“Dr. Mark made me feel that I was in safe hands,” the patient wrote in a five-star review.

Only the writer was not an actual patient, and there was no procedure. His review was fake—part of an effort to boost the online ratings for Mohrmann’s business using phony positive reviews. In October, Mohrmann agreed to pay a $100,000 penalty on charges of deceiving the public with fake reviews.

The bogus review for Mohrmann is just one example of the billion-dollar fake review industry, in which businesses pay people to post fake positive reviews to Amazon, Google Maps, Yelp, and other platforms, deceiving millions each year.

Like many teens, Rika Nishikawa, 17, from Chicago, looks at reviews to help her decide what to buy online. At times, she gets suspicious.

“Sometimes I’ve seen products that have like 30,000 reviews with five stars,” she says. “But often I will look at reviews that are kind of in the middle—at like three or four stars—and they tend to be more honest.”

After Dr. Mark J. Mohrmann completed a successful orthopedic procedure in 2019, his patient turned to Yelp, the review website, to share his appreciation.

“Dr. Mark made me feel that I was in safe hands,” the patient wrote in a five-star review.

Only the writer was not an actual patient, and there was no procedure. His review was fake. It was part of an effort to boost the online ratings for Mohrmann’s business using phony positive reviews. In October, Mohrmann agreed to pay a $100,000 penalty on charges of deceiving the public with fake reviews.

The bogus review for Mohrmann is just one example of the billion-dollar fake review industry. It is a businesses that pays people to post fake positive reviews to Amazon, Google Maps, Yelp, and other platforms, deceiving millions each year.

Like many teens, Rika Nishikawa, 17, from Chicago, looks at reviews to help her decide what to buy online. At times, she gets suspicious.

“Sometimes I’ve seen products that have like 30,000 reviews with five stars,” she says. “But often I will look at reviews that are kind of in the middle—at like three or four stars—and they tend to be more honest.”

Fake reviews are as old as the internet itself, and they’re illegal and banned by online platforms. But fake review businesses have continued to blossom anyway. Now, for the first time, a wave of regulation and moves by tech companies are coalescing in a more concerted effort to crack down on fake reviews.

Last summer, the Federal Trade Commission (F.T.C.) proposed a sweeping rule to punish businesses for buying or selling fake reviews, among other things. In October, several online platforms announced a coalition that would share information and resources among companies to combat review fraud. And late last month, New York’s attorney general, Letitia James, issued her own warning across the state, calling fake reviews “illegal and unacceptable.”

Experts warn, however, that fake reviews are so pervasive that the problem may be insurmountable. Jason Brown, the founder of Review Fraud, a consumer advocacy site that exposes businesses using fake reviews, says platforms have not done enough to manage the problem—and concern over fake reviews is growing.

“Everyone is feeling the heat and pressure,” he said. “Time will tell.”

Fake reviews are as old as the internet itself. They’re illegal and banned by online platforms. But fake review businesses have continued to blossom anyway. Now, for the first time, a wave of regulation and moves by tech companies are coming together in an effort to crack down on fake reviews.

Last summer, the Federal Trade Commission (F.T.C.) proposed a sweeping rule to punish businesses for buying or selling fake reviews. In October, several online platforms announced a coalition that would share information and resources among companies to combat review fraud. And late last month, New York’s attorney general, Letitia James, issued her own warning across the state. She called fake reviews “illegal and unacceptable.”

Experts warn, however, that fake reviews are so pervasive that the problem may be insurmountable. Jason Brown, the founder of Review Fraud, a consumer advocacy site that exposes businesses using fake reviews, says platforms have not done enough to manage the problem. The concern over fake reviews is growing.

“Everyone is feeling the heat and pressure,” he said. “Time will tell.”

Every online shopper has likely come across a fake review. Almost all of them are positive endorsements: four-star and five-star reviews that businesses write themselves or digital marketers create.

Many deceptive marketers are based overseas, limiting the F.T.C.’s power to police the problem. And artificial intelligence tools, like ChatGPT, threaten to supercharge the industry by making the fake reviews easier to write.

In its proposed rule, the F.T.C. is focusing on investigating and punishing businesses that buy or sell online reviews, in some cases issuing fines of $50,000.

But “the rule will not apply to the architects of the whole corrupt system: the review platforms and tech companies who profit from online reviews whether real or fake,” says Kay Dean, a former federal criminal investigator who runs the website Fake Review Watch.

Dean began her effort after online fake reviews misled her to a psychiatric practice. On her YouTube channel, she documents hundreds of businesses that use fake or suspicious reviews, from moving companies to doctors’ offices.

Her investigations often rely on identifying reviewers who rate unconnected businesses around the country—a sure sign of fraud. She found that 19 of Mohrmann’s supposed patients had also left glowing reviews on Google Maps for the same moving company in Las Vegas, and another 18 apparently used the same locksmith in Texas (see “Mapping a Fake Review Scam,” below).

Every online shopper has likely come across a fake review. Almost all of them are positive endorsements. They are four-star and five-star reviews that businesses write themselves or digital marketers create.

Many deceptive marketers are based overseas, limiting the F.T.C.’s power to police the problem. And artificial intelligence tools, like ChatGPT, threaten to supercharge the industry by making the fake reviews easier to write.

In its proposed rule, the F.T.C. is focusing on investigating and punishing businesses that buy or sell online reviews. In some cases they are issuing fines of $50,000.

But “the rule will not apply to the architects of the whole corrupt system: the review platforms and tech companies who profit from online reviews whether real or fake,” says Kay Dean, a former federal criminal investigator who runs the website Fake Review Watch.

Dean began her effort after online fake reviews misled her to a psychiatric practice. On her YouTube channel, she documents hundreds of businesses that use fake or suspicious reviews, from moving companies to doctors’ offices.

Her investigations often rely on identifying reviewers who rate unconnected businesses around the country. This is a sure sign of fraud. She found that 19 of Mohrmann’s supposed patients had also left glowing reviews on Google Maps for the same moving company in Las Vegas. Another 18 apparently used the same locksmith in Texas (see “Mapping a Fake Review Scam,” below).

Review watchdogs like Dean blame Google and other large platforms for the problem’s resilience. Those websites tend to rely on customers to self-police fake reviews and usually don’t disclose when a business has engaged in suspicious behavior, allowing fraudsters to continue posting fake reviews after old ones are removed.

The Transparency Company, an industry watchdog that develops software to analyze and detect fake reviews, has identified more than 100,000 businesses using phony and suspicious reviews to boost their digital image—often in ways that are invisible to customers.

An analysis by the Transparency Company found that half the reviews on Mohrmann’s Google Maps profile are “highly suspicious,” with many accounts connected to India, Vietnam, and Britain. Mohrmann has a rating of 4.5 on Google Maps compared with 2.5 stars on Yelp.

“A bad $10 kitchen knife, or cheap Bluetooth headset, isn’t going to ruin a household,” says Curtis Boyd, founder of the Transparency Company. But, he adds, “choosing the wrong doctor, lawyer, or contractor can ruin your life.”

Review watchdogs like Dean blame Google and other large platforms for the problem’s resilience. Those websites tend to rely on customers to self-police fake reviews. They usually don’t disclose when a business has engaged in suspicious behavior, allowing fraudsters to continue posting fake reviews after old ones are removed.

The Transparency Company is an industry watchdog that develops software to analyze and detect fake reviews. It has identified more than 100,000 businesses using phony and suspicious reviews to boost their digital image—often in ways that are invisible to customers.

An analysis by the Transparency Company found that half the reviews on Mohrmann’s Google Maps profile are “highly suspicious.” Many of the accounts are connected to India, Vietnam, and Britain. Mohrmann has a rating of 4.5 on Google Maps compared with 2.5 stars on Yelp.

“A bad $10 kitchen knife, or cheap Bluetooth headset, isn’t going to ruin a household,” says Curtis Boyd, founder of the Transparency Company. But, he adds, “choosing the wrong doctor, lawyer, or contractor can ruin your life.”