Fake reviews
Fabricated or paid-for testimonials that manufacture a reputation a seller never earned.
Fake reviews are fabricated or paid-for testimonials designed to manufacture a reputation a seller has not earned. They range from a scam shop writing its own five-star praise, to networks that sell reviews in bulk, to incentivised posts that hide a reward. On a fraudulent site they are a core prop — a wall of glowing feedback meant to reassure you in the seconds before you pay.
The tells are learnable: many five-star reviews posted in a tight cluster of dates, oddly similar phrasing across different names, generic praise that never mentions specifics, and a suspicious absence of any middling or critical voices. Genuine feedback is messier — spread over time, specific, and dotted with the occasional complaint handled well. Reviews hosted on the seller's own site are worth least, because the owner controls them; independent platforms and off-site searches carry more weight, though even these are gamed. Treat a flawless reputation as a reason for more scrutiny, not less. Our guides to recognising a scam website and how fake shops are built show where manufactured reviews fit into the wider con.