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5 Top Secrets to Uncovering Fake Online Reviews

As a consumer, depending on online reviews is essential when making purchasing decisions, especially in a world where going to buy a product in person has been discouraged. Online stores provide you with a section where consumers get to make the ratings of the purchases they have made. With reviews, you can have an idea of the quality of purchase you are about to make.


However, not all online reviews are genuine. According to a recent analysis, nearly 39% of online reviews are completely fake and unreliable, and some are bought to create a misleading impression. The good news is that there are ways for you to decipher fake online reviews. Here are some tips for identifying them.

Review Timeline

One of the most effective ways to uncover fake online reviews is through the review timeline. Consumers can figure out if an online review is fake or genuine by examining the timing the review was made. Reviews that are genuinely accrued should have consistent timing. If the reviews are all made at the same time, then there is a huge chance that they were paid for.

Repetition

Online reviews that are unnatural tend to have repetition of words and phrases. These reviews may often written by paid reviewers who are careless, checking other reviews and copying what they see. When you come across online reviews that have repetition, you should do a double-take and examine properly to determine if they are fake or real.

Ascertain the Profile of the Reviewer

Many e-commerce businesses make use of professional reviewers to create positive ratings about themselves or negative ratings about their competitors. Professional reviewers are given products by companies and get paid to test them and provide feedback. These companies use professional reviewers because their reviews look more authentic than average people who have used the services and products. Check the profiles of these reviewers and see what kind of rating they have been giving other products. You should be wary of them if they have been handing out five star reviews to everyone.

Are the Reviews About the Product?

Another secret to uncovering fake online reviews is by checking whether the reviews are about the product. Some professional reviewers are not meticulous enough to ensure the fake reviews they write are actually about the product. If you see such a review, the seller may be trying to manipulate the product reviews in their favor.

Check for Verified Purchases

Many online stores, such as Amazon, have designed a way that purchases will be verified. If purchases are not verified, then you have every reason to be suspicious of them. Moreover, a verified purchase shows whether the buyer was satisfied with both the product and customer service received.

Endnote

Several customers depend on online reviews to make purchases. However, some deceptive sellers will purchase fake reviews. Identifying these fake online reviews is not easy, but you can decipher this by checking for verified purchases, studying the timeline that the review was made, and looking out for phrase repetition. With the insightful tips above, you are on your way to ensuring that you don’t fall for scams when you are making online purchases.

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