How To Identify Fake Amazon Product Reviews

In an age where fake news and fake reviews abound, one has to find a way to determine what's real and what's not. This applies to review sites and reviews made in popular retail sites such as Amazon. How does one identify fake reviews made in Amazon?

The fake reviews found in online retail giant Amazon's listings fool people into believing that a product is worth spending money for when it actually isn't. Despite the company's status as being one of the largest tech companies in the world, its pages are still peppered with false and misleading reviews that deceive people into believing a bad product is good, and a good product is bad.

That said, consumers should know how to protect themselves from making regrettable purchases via the online selling giant. Here are some ways to determine if certain reviews are fake, courtesy of Android Authority:

• Check if a review comes from verified purchasers

Amazon uses a Verified Purchase badge to indicate that a review is written by someone who actually bought the product via the platform. This means that the review comes from someone who parted with his or her cash to get the product and, in effect, gives them the credibility to make reviews about it.

• Look for reviews that are part of Amazon Vine

Amazon Vine is a program that sends free products to consumers in exchange for reviews. These customers are carefully selected and are asked to give their honest reviews about the products, whether positive or negative.

• Check some full reviews

It's always better to read full reviews compared to short reviews comprised of one or two sentences. It's also definitely better than relying on scores. Full reviews give consumers a better picture of real users' comments and experiences about the product in question, and will help consumers make a better choice.

• Read reviews from other websites

Consumers should not completely rely on Amazon reviews to get a better idea about the product. They should look for reviews from other reputable websites to get more reliable information about the products they want to buy.

• Use fake review detection services

Some websites can help in detecting fake reviews. One such website, FakeSpot, uses an algorithm to filter out questionable reviews and then adjusts the rating based on what it deemed as authentic reviews. This will help users know what's fake and what's not.