Black Friday ‘bargain’ warning over fake AI reviews that could lead shoppers to dangerous products – how to spot them
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.
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.
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.
There are some tell-tale signs, though.
Before you part with your money this Black Friday, sort out the real reviews from the false ones so you spend more wisely.
LOOK FOR DETAIL
WHEN it comes to sorting genuine experiences from those that have been made up, you need to read between the lines.
Fake reviews are often vague and lacking in human detail.
They might say a product is “great”, without explaining why.
A review that repeats phrases from a product’s website can also be a red flag.
Amy Cutmore, editor of Expert Reviews, says: “A real review is usually specific and descriptive.
“For an air fryer, it might say ‘I cooked bacon in it and it came out nice and crispy’.
“If a review reveals no details on the product or the use of it, be suspicious.”
SPELLING MISTAKES
POOR spelling should make you suspicious.
It could be a sign that reviews have come from someone being paid to churn them out in bulk, and often not in their native language.
Look at other review sites, too, to get a broader range of views.
Charlotte says: “I would always recommend, where possible, looking at more than one platform for reviews. Whether it’s a combination of social media reviews and Google, or Trustpilot and Amazon, use more than one source.”
SIZE MATTERS
LOOK out for reviews that are very short, or too long.
If someone has written a dubious review, they will probably keep it to just a few sentences.
A bogus review, produced by AI, on the other hand, could ramble on far too long.
A recommendation by a real person is more likely to fall somewhere in between.
FIVE-STAR FAKES
SHOPPING experts recommend skipping both five-star and one-star reviews, which is where most fakes tend to land.
It may mean you miss some genuine recommendations, but you will also get a more rounded picture from three or four-star ones, where real customers weigh up the positives and negatives.
Amy says: “If the review makes the product sound far too good to be true, it’s more likely to be fake feedback.”
Be especially alert for five-star reviews on unbranded products.
Shoppers are more than twice as likely to pick poor-quality products that have been boosted by fraudulent reviews, according to Which?
RAINING REVIEWS
ANOTHER sign of a dodgy write-up could be a deluge of reviews for the same product landing within just a short space of time, with long gaps between other reviews.
It could happen around Black Friday or Christmas when a retailer is trying to shift stock, or around a new launch.
Amy says: “This could be a sign that the seller has faked positive feedback in some way.”
She recommends a tool that can help spot bogus reviews.
Fakespot from Mozilla is a plug-in tool that will help single out false reviews.
It can be added to a web browser for free, and it works with Amazon, eBay and Shopify, as well as other e-retail sites.
POWER IN THE PROFILE
DELVE a bit deeper into a reviewer’s profile.
On sites including Google Reviews, Trustpilot and Amazon, you can see what other businesses or products someone has reviewed.
Charlotte says: “Here there can be some obvious red flags — for example, if someone is not in the country where the business they are buying from is based.
“Also, be sure to take a look at how often they review products and services.
“Reviewing lots of different products within a short timeframe may also indicate a false review.”
Amy says that if all the reviewer’s posts give five stars, or one, it might show they have been given an incentive to write the posts.
£25? what an ice surprise!
THOUSANDS of struggling households in more than a dozen postcodes are set to receive cash to help heat their homes as the cold snap takes hold.
Those eligible get £25 during each seven-day period of below-zero weather in their area until March 31.
The Department for Work and Pensions provides the extra cash to low-income households.
To be eligible, you must receive certain benefits, such as Pension Credit, Universal Credit and Income Support, or support for mortgage interest.
Those who qualify will have the funds deposited automatically into their bank accounts within 14 days of their postcode being triggered.
These postcodes, which have already experienced a period of very low temperatures, are now eligible for a single cold weather payment: CA9-12, CA16-17, DG14, TD9, LA8-10, LA21-23, NE19, NE47-NE49.
If you think you could have received the payment, check your bank statement for an item with your National Insurance number followed by the code “DWP CWP”.
Further cold weather could lead to additional payments in other areas, and there is no maximum limit to the amount you can receive.
For example, almost 500 postcodes got up to £75 last winter.
See coldweatherpayments. dwp.gov.uk to check if you will be due a cold weather payment.
James Flanders
Users are E.ON for payout
A MAJOR energy supplier will give £144 in compensation to 250,000 customers.
E.ON Next – part of the E.ON Energy Group – has been asked to pay up after it failed to give final bills and refunds to prepayment meter customers.
Almost a quarter of a million accounts were affected between February 2021 and September 2023, an investigation by energy regulator Ofgem found.
This was due to an error within its billing system, which E.ON Next self-reported to Ofgem.
Prepayment customers who changed suppliers or terminated their contract did not receive final bills within six weeks, which is required under Ofgem’s rules.
This failure meant existing customers were not aware of cash left over in their accounts, the watchdog said.
It was found that some 100,000 of the accounts were in credit, with an average of £51 left over.
Impacted customers have been contacted to inform them about the payment, E.ON said.
The company also agreed to voluntarily write off debt held by almost 150,000 prepayment meter customers who closed their accounts between February 2021 and September 2023.
Beth Martin, director for consumer protection and competition at Ofgem, said: “It’s encouraging that [E.ON Next] self-reported the issue and have worked with us to resolve it.”
Laura McGuire