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How to Spot Fake Online Reviews: 12 Warning Signs
Reviews are one of the most useful tools you have when choosing a business you have never used before. They are also a target. Some businesses try to inflate their ratings with fake praise, and some competitors or disgruntled people post fake complaints. Most reviews are written by real customers, but it pays to read them with a careful eye, especially for expensive or important decisions.
Here are the warning signs to watch for, and a better way to read reviews overall.
Warning signs in the reviews themselves
1. Vague, generic praise
"Great service! Highly recommend! Best company ever!" Real customers usually mention something specific: what they needed, who helped them, how long it took, what surprised them. A page full of short, interchangeable compliments is worth a second look.
2. Marketing language
Reviews that read like an advertisement, repeating the full business name, listing services like a brochure, or using phrases you would expect on the company's own website, may not have been written by customers.
3. The same phrases across several reviews
If multiple "different" customers use the same unusual wording, the same sentence structure, or the same typo, they may have come from the same source.
4. Extreme ratings with nothing in between
Real businesses usually collect a mix: mostly positive, some average, a few unhappy. A business with only five-star and one-star reviews, and nothing in between, may be dealing with fake reviews on one side or both.
5. Details that do not fit
A review that mentions a service the business does not offer, a location it does not have, or staff that do not seem to exist is a red flag. So is a review for a restaurant that describes the wrong menu.
6. Over-the-top emotion without substance
Strong feelings are normal in reviews. Strong feelings with no description of what actually happened are less convincing, whether they are glowing or furious.
Warning signs in the pattern
7. A sudden burst of reviews
A business that collects a few reviews a month and then suddenly gets dozens in a week, all positive, may have bought or solicited them improperly. Look at the dates.
8. Ratings that do not match the text
Some reviews are less positive than the star rating suggests, or the other way around. A long list of complaints attached to five stars is a strange combination.
9. Recent reviews that look very different from older ones
If the tone, length or style of reviews changed sharply at some point, ask why. It might be new ownership, which is worth knowing too.
Warning signs in the reviewer
10. Profiles with one review
Everyone writes a first review at some point, so a single-review profile is not proof of anything. But a business whose reviews mostly come from profiles with no other activity deserves more caution.
11. Reviewers who only review one kind of thing
Where you can see a reviewer's other reviews, look for oddities: someone who has reviewed dozens of roofers in different states, or only ever leaves one-star reviews.
12. Reviews that push you elsewhere
Be wary of reviews that tell you to contact someone off the platform, call a different number, or visit another website. These are sometimes scams rather than reviews at all.
Fake negative reviews exist too
It is easy to focus on fake praise, but fake complaints happen as well. A one-star review with no details, posted the same week as several others like it, could be an attack rather than an honest experience. Look at how the business replied. A calm, specific reply that explains what happened, or says the business has no record of the customer, can be informative.
How to read reviews well
Instead of trusting the average star rating alone, try this approach:
- Sort by most recent. A business can change a lot in a year or two. Recent reviews tell you about the business today.
- Read the middle. Three- and four-star reviews are often the most balanced and the most informative.
- Read the worst ones. Look for patterns. One complaint about a late arrival is bad luck; ten is a policy.
- Read the replies. Does the owner respond? Are replies helpful and professional, or defensive?
- Look for specifics that matter to you. If you need weekend service or work on an older home, search the reviews for those details.
- Consider the volume. A high average from a handful of reviews tells you less than a slightly lower average from many.
- Cross-check. Compare what you see across more than one site, and check licenses with your state licensing board where they apply.
The rules on fake reviews
In the US, the Federal Trade Commission has rules that prohibit fake reviews and certain deceptive review practices, such as businesses buying reviews or posting them under false identities. Review platforms, including this directory, also have their own policies. You can read how reviews work here in our review guidelines.
What to do if you spot one
- Use the platform's report option. On this directory, business owners can report a review on their listing as fake, spam, offensive, or a conflict of interest, and anyone can flag one to us through the contact page. Reviews that enough people report are hidden automatically.
- Do not reply to the reviewer or engage with suspicious contact details.
- Give more weight to the reviews that seem genuine when making your decision.
Write the kind of review you want to read
The best defense against fake reviews is a large number of real ones. When a business serves you well, or badly, a specific, honest review helps the next person. Search the directory to find businesses you have used and share your experience.