So in this post, I will walk you through identifying fake reviews with a few tricks that help me make good shopping decisions. Note: As an example, I’ll use this new MaxBoost Google Pixel 2 case that my analysis (and my gut) says there are fake reviews.
Insight into the current situation
Therefore, I will refrain from listing the stupid mistakes these fake reviewers used to make, the most advanced won’t make those mistakes. Instead, I’ll focus on assessment patterns and basic needs of salespeople and how these reviewers comply.
Check the oldest reviews first
So if you want to see if the seller used fake reviews, check the oldest. Here is how to access to them: In the Customer reviews section, click View all (total ratings in numbers) customer reviews link below the rating bars.Now scroll down and click on the very last page. In my case it is 17. There are several clues that can help you identify fake reviews here, below are some important ones: At first, sellers care more 5 star ratings to rank higher in search results instead of getting positive reviews to attract customers. So she Hire reviewers for cheap who have just come to do a one-liner review and give a 5-star rating. If you see many 5 star ratings in quick succession along with short meaningless reviews, chances are they are fake. In the screenshot below, you can see that all ratings are one-liner and also have a 5-star ratingIn their description they will be very vague and use words such as “love it”, “great”, “good”, “worth the money” and “simple”, etc. lack of expertise and experience with product use, the reviewer may even say something false or nothing. For example in the below screenshot from the reviewer says “I love how this case fits on the Google Pixel 2” in its review on October 17, even though Google Pixel 2 wasn’t even released then. To be uploaded images either show the case on a Pixel 2 phoneOn top of that, he added a fair amount of criticism to make the review look real, but still gave it 5 stars. Keep in mind that having fake reviews in the beginning doesn’t mean this is a seller sell something of low qualityAfter all, they need a way to increase their rankings and sell their products faster, and many opt for false means. Although you should think twice before buying from such sellers.
Prioritize 3-star reviews first
I’m not saying everything Reviews of 5 or 1 star are fake, but the fake reviews are usually lurking around these sections. Since the seller is paying for the fake review, they want to make sure they can get the most out of it. That’s why they either go for 4-5 stars positive reviews or 1-2 stars for negative reviews. However, there is very little chance of fake reviews in the 3 star section. 3 stars don’t usually place noticeable impact on the whole rating of the product, so fake reviewers are not instructed to give a 3 star rating. To see the 3-star reviews, click the 3-star bar in the Customer reviews section.
By the way, people who usually give 3 stars also give a better one insight into the pros and cons of the item. You just have to use common sense here to guess if the problems the user is telling you are related to the product or their own tastes and mistakes This can be clearly seen in the screenshot below none of the reviews seem fake and also provide reliable information about the good and bad sides.
Understand the Verified Purchase tag
The Verified Purchase tag under the the name of the reviewer confirms that the person purchased the item. Many people think that if they bought the item, the review is probably true. That is not the case. Almost all fake reviews currently bought Please involve the reviewer in purchasing the item before doing a review. After the assessment it is buyer makes a return request and the seller accepts it. The buyer gets the money back and it is paid separately via PayPal or may keep the item. So the Verified purchase tag is meaningless while identifying fake reviews. Better to focus on other metrics mentioned here than depending on verified purchase.
See the reviewer’s profile
This is your best tool when it comes to detecting a fake reviewIf there’s a particular review that adds enough information to help you make a decision, then check the reviewer’s profile is the best way to confirm its authenticity. To access a reviewer’s profile, just click on the reviewer’s name and it opens up
In the profile there are several indications that can indicate that the person writes fake reviewsBelow I have listed some common ones: Mostly fake reviewers don’t have a profile picture or have a fake copy from a movie or elsewhere. If they seem to have a photo of an ordinary person, there’s a chance they do stolen from someone else’s social IDYou can upload their profile picture Search for Google Images and see if it’s available elsewhere. If so, then it’s a red flag.Get fake reviewers less helpful votes so many people can they identify or they usually don’t add much value apart from their rating. As a rule of thumb, if someone has done so only & frac13; helpful votes compared to their total ratings, they could be fake. Most of their reviews are either 5 stars or 1 star.They have to earn money so they will revise often to make a living. Mostly 10-12 reviews per week is a good sign of a fake reviewer. If all of the above three conditions are met, or at least two, then the rating they added is probably also fake and you shouldn’t let it influence your decision.
Get help from a third-party tool
ReviewMeta demonstrable offers much more informationHowever, I prefer to use Fakespot because it is much easier to understand yet still provides all the information we need. In front of demonstration, I’ll be using Fakespot Go to Fakespot and in the middle search field copy / paste the URL of the product you want to scan. When you click Analyze, a report is generated immediately.
There are multiple sections of the report and I have explained them below. In the top part of the report, Fakespot gives a overall rating for the reviews of the product and show low-quality overall reviews. Here A rank means that the reviews are reliable and F grade means almost all reviews are fake. Usually C or D grade is a good sign of fake reviews.
Here you will too view low quality overall reviews in percent on the right. This percentage does not mean that all of these reviews are fake. It’s just an estimate of low quality and reviews there is a greater chance that many of them can be fake. If you scroll a bit, you’ll see the Analysis overview section. Here you have to look at the red colored lines telling you how the reviews of the specific product can be fake. In the following screenshot, you can see that Fakespot suggests that the reviewers are suspiciously positive and the seller is also known for using aggressive marketing. These are clear signs that many of the 5 star reviews could be fake.
If you scroll down, you’ll see a list of reviewers Fakespot says are untrustworthy (or fake reviewers). You will see the reviewer’s name along with reasons why Fakespot think they are fake.
All this information provided by Fakespot should be good enough to give you a sense of whether the product has fake reviews or not. However, keep in mind that it is an automatic system and it can make mistakes. This is why I told you all those things identify fake reviews tricks before introducing an automatic tool. You need to use Fakespot or ReviewMeta first to get an idea and then the tricks I have told you in this article to spot fake reviews.
Ending thoughts
By a automatic tool with a little common sense should protect you from products popularized by fake reviews. If you manage to find a fake review, don’t forget to lower it by clicking No next “Was this review helpful to you?section. This keeps the rating low and away from the eyes of the other users. Also, don’t forget to rate an honest review so other users can view it.
Faq
Final note
