Five Star Fakes: Fake online reviews dupe consumers, hurt businesses

Updated: Jun. 20, 2022 at 12:33 AM EDT
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Checking online reviews when shopping, researching vacations or even looking for a doctor has become an integral part of the modern consumer experience. But what if the review was written by someone rewarded for leaving their opinion of the product or service? What if the reviewer had never used the product and had been paid to fabricate their writeup? In “Five Star Fakes”, InvestigateTV found several posts on social media platforms where people are bartering - even buying and selling - online reviews, despite a federal law that prohibits this act.