How to Spot Fake Reviews and Online Shopping Scams

Online shopping is convenient, but it is also full of people trying to separate you from your money. Some are outright scammers who never ship anything. Others are legitimate sellers who pad their ratings with paid reviews. In both cases, your best defence is knowing what the warning signs look like.

Why fake reviews exist

A few extra stars can mean thousands in sales, so an entire industry has grown up around manufacturing them. Sellers pay for glowing reviews, offer refunds in exchange for five stars, or use "brushing" schemes in which packages are sent to random addresses so the seller can post a "verified purchase" review under a fake account.

Regulators have started to respond. In the United States, the Federal Trade Commission finalized a rule in 2024 that bans fake reviews and testimonials and lets it seek penalties against businesses that buy or sell them. Enforcement is helpful, but the problem has not vanished, so shoppers still need a critical eye.

Seven signs a review page is not trustworthy

1. A burst of five-star ratings in a short time. Genuine feedback accumulates gradually. Dozens of near-identical reviews posted within days is a warning.
2. Generic praise. "Great product, fast delivery, would recommend!" says nothing. Real reviewers mention specific details such as fit, battery life, noise or setup.
3. Reviews for a different product. Some sellers merge listings so a popular product's reviews appear under an unrelated item.
4. Reviewer profiles with odd histories. If someone has posted only five-star reviews across unrelated categories, be skeptical.
5. Overly positive language. Marketing-style phrases and repeated brand names can suggest paid content.
6. Mismatched ratings and text. A four-star average alongside reviews full of complaints is suspicious.
7. Little or no negative feedback. Even excellent products have some critics. A perfect score with thousands of ratings is rare.

"Verified purchase" only tells you that a purchase occurred on that platform. It does not guarantee the review is honest.

How to read reviews smartly

• Read the three-star reviews first. They tend to be more balanced.
• Sort by most recent. Quality can change if a seller switches suppliers.
• Search reviews for keywords relevant to you, such as "size", "battery", "noise" or "returns".
• Cross-check independent sources. Look for professional reviews, forums and videos from creators who disclose how they obtained the product.
• Check the seller's rating as well as the product's rating on marketplaces.

Signs of a scam website

Fake shops often copy the design of legitimate stores and advertise on social media. Watch for:

• Prices that are far too low, especially on popular electronics and luxury goods.
• A brand-new domain. You can look up a website's registration date using a public WHOIS lookup.
• Slight misspellings of a real brand's web address.
• No clear contact details, return policy or company address.
• Poor grammar and stock photos with no genuine product images.
• Pressure tactics, such as countdown timers and claims of "only 2 left".
• Unusual payment requests, including bank transfer, wire, cryptocurrency, gift cards or peer-to-peer payment apps. Legitimate stores accept normal card payments.

A padlock icon or "https" in the address bar only means the connection is encrypted. Scammers can have it too, so it is not proof that a site is trustworthy.

Protect your payment

• Use a credit card or a trusted payment service. In many countries, card issuers offer dispute rights if goods never arrive or are not as described. Debit cards, bank transfers and gift cards often offer weaker protection.
• Consider virtual card numbers, offered by some banks and wallets, which limit exposure if a merchant is compromised.
• Turn on transaction alerts so you notice unfamiliar charges immediately.
• Avoid saving card details on unfamiliar sites.

When something goes wrong

1. Contact the seller and keep records of your messages.
2. If the seller does not respond, use the marketplace's dispute process.
3. Contact your card issuer to dispute the charge, ideally within the time window they specify.
4. Report the site to consumer protection agencies and the platform where you found it.
5. Change passwords if you shared account information.

Beware of delivery text scams

Messages claiming a package is stuck and asking for a small "redelivery fee" are a widespread scam. Do not click links in unexpected texts or emails. Go directly to the courier's official app or website and enter your tracking number.

The takeaway

You cannot eliminate risk entirely, but a few habits reduce it dramatically: read reviews critically, verify the seller, pay with protected methods and trust your instincts when a deal feels too good. And when a price really is too low to believe, it usually is. If you want to catch genuine bargains safely, our guide to Black Friday shopping strategy shows how to verify prices before you buy.