The biggest risk of online shopping is getting cheated by false reviews. This generally happens when buying inferior products. Fake reviews happen when buying clothes, toys and low-cost electronic products. These fake reviews are written by actual people. These tips help detect fake reviews and avoid falling prey to them.
See Also: Beware of this New Online Shopping Scam
A short review is most probably a fake. These could be around 4-5 lines. The reviews are vague and don’t have much details on the products. Generalities are used with no specifics on the products.
Well, if the review is written by a Company employee, there’s too much emotional language. The language used would be Great, Amazing or Wonderful. They would say planning to buy one for everyone over the holidays. If the review is made by a rival, it says ridiculous or waste of a product.
See if the person writes reviews regularly. If he has not done so or the reviews are too vague, it means he/she is doing so to further their interests. Take a close look if the reviewer has submitted many reviews in a short time. Also check for sameness of reviews.
If the reviewer has admitted bias, then why should you trust the review? This could be a review like, seen the book but not read it completely. Why would someone give a review when he/she has not read the book or used the product? Many times companies give free products in exchange for 5 star reviews.
The highest and lowest ratings are generally suspect. They could be written by company employees or rivals. Does the review sound like someone who has personal interest in the product? Does it sound like a rival who wants to downgrade the product?
Most people don’t believe online reviews. They believe they are fake or planted reviews. They also believe that many e-commerce sites don’t publish negative reviews.
This is a sure giveaway. Bad grammar or spelling mistakes are a sign that the review is fake. Look for phrases which are repeated many times. Pick reviewers at random and look for their other reviews. If a reviewer has just one review, he is most probably a fake.
If a reviewer gets money for the review or is given the product for free, he will leave a 5 star review. You can gauge this by checking his other reviews. If he gives a 5 star rating across products rather easily with no negativity, he is getting paid for the reviews.
The final step. Reach out to the reviewers with your questions on the review. Fake reviewers don’t bother responding. The genuine ones will get back to you. This is a test you can conduct to weed out the fake reviews.
See Also: Beware! Your Data Can Be Stolen From Online Shopping Sites
Not happy with a product or service? Just visit IndianMoney.com’s complaint portal IamCheated.com and post your issue. We’ll get in touch with the concerned entity and help you with the resolution. With an aim to spread awareness on fraudulent activities, we publish articles and videos on a regular basis. You can also publish reviews about companies on IamCheated.com.
