How to Spot Fake Reviews

This article was updated on October 27th, 2022

Negative reviews have gained popularity as a way to (often inaccurately) vent about a person, place, or thing. In some instances, you can spot a fake review from miles away and have no qualms about reporting it to get it removed.

However, in other instances, it can be challenging to determine whether or not a review is truly fake. So, how can you know if reviews are fake? We review the signs to look for to spot the fake review outliers.

4 Strategies to Spot and Address Fake Online Reviews

1. Pay Attention To The Descriptive Language
2. Check the Reviewer’s Profile
3. Use an online review checker
4. Report Fake Reviews and Take Action

Pay Attention To The Descriptive Language

Companies that hire individuals to post fake reviews are well aware of the Search Engine Optimization (SEO) requirements to pull the review to Google’s top page and also what kind of language to use to draw readers in. Often, the language used is not at all specific but rather enthusiastic about appearing positive at first glance. 

This lack of in-depth knowledge or experience attributed to the company is a warning sign and, overall, reflects a poor review. Unfortunately, many people skim reviews to get a general synopsis when they should be scrutinized for accuracy before making a snap judgment.

Check the Reviewer’s Profile

If you are truly on the fence about whether or not the review is fake, check the reviewer’s profile. If it is not filled out, lacks a photograph, and is not linked to other social media sites, the empty profile is most likely the answer. Another distinct sign is that a  review (or reviewer) only has one review posted.

Similarly, if the profile has too many negative reviews against a single entity, that’s another sign the reviewer is fake. 

Of course, reviews were created to give consumers/customers a chance to share their likes and dislikes, and companies use them to actively improve. Still, any reviews spotted that lack reasoning and/or are filled with immature wording are not benefitting anyone.

Negative Online Review Checker

Reputation911 has developed an online review checker that can help you detect if your reviews are real or fake and is the first step to getting them removed or published on sites that are currently filtering them. 

There is nothing more frustrating than having customers write genuine reviews on leading websites that end up getting filtered because it’s either their first review they’ve written or they don’t have a developed profile with friends and accolades on that review site. 

Equally as frustrating is having fake reviews published by customers you never had. The online review checker from Reputation911 can help you identify the source of these reviews and their authenticity.

Report Fake Reviews and Take Action

Once a review is spotted as fake, it’s time to take action. It should be the individual consumer’s job to report fake reviews if one expects reviews to remain accurate. It is the company’s job to take action to protect its reputation when the situation gets out of hand. 

Reputation Management for Reviews

Enrolling in preventative online reputation management before anything happens as an added liability insurance is the best way to protect you and your business from negative reviews. If you cannot report slanderous and inaccurate reviews, Reputation911 will combat the false accusations and set your online reputation back into place with restorative online review management services.

In short, if you spot a  fake online review that is a false representation of a company or person’s true nature, you should take action. Due to blatant dishonesty made easy by the internet, fake reviews can create an entirely undeserved negative image against an entity. The sooner you take action, the better protected you are.

For more information about the Online Review Checker, call Reputation911 at 866-MY-REP-911.