How to Spot Fake Reviews and Shady Ratings on Amazon

Sort by most recent reviews, check if older reviews were for completely different products and search for red flags such as ‘gift’ or ‘free’

By Nicole Nguyen of The WSJ. She gives several good ideas not listed here. Excerpts: 

"Amazon AMZN 1.47%▲ is suing the administrators of more than 10,000 Facebook groups it says coordinated fake reviews on the shopping giant’s platform. While Amazon didn’t name the admins, the company did identify one group, called “Amazon Product Review,” which it said had more than 43,000 members.

Anywhere reviews exist—for apps, restaurants, products—manipulation exists, too. Amazon, as the nation’s largest online retailer, is the likeliest place you’ll find it. The majority of its products come from its Marketplace program, where millions of third-party sellers compete to peddle everything from USB cables to lawn furniture. Fake reviews can help sellers get an edge and make more money, hence those cheap “five-star” no-name products that you buy then wish you hadn’t.

It is against Amazon’s rules for third-party sellers to pay or motivate people with free products or cash compensation. Many do, however, and evade detection by coordinating on platforms such as Facebook."

"more than 12,000 Amazon employees work to prevent fraud and abuse, including fake reviews."  

"some sellers hunt down customers who leave negative reviews, and how others include inserts advertising gift cards or free products in exchange for reviews. A study from researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles, published on July 11, shows how products with fake reviews share a common set of reviewers. This pool could easily move to another communication channel."

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