Review Fraud: What UK Merchants Need to Know in 2025
Review fraud is the manipulation of online reviews in a way that misleads consumers. This includes posting fake positive reviews to boost a business’s reputation or fake negative reviews to harm a competitor. In some cases, it also involves removing or suppressing genuine reviews that are critical to a business’s success.
For UK merchants, review fraud is far from a trivial issue. A 2023 study carried out by the UK government, found that fake reviews are particularly common in high-competition sectors such as electronics, beauty, and home improvement. In fact, the survey showed that between 11% and 15% of reviews in these sectors were estimated to be fake. Even more alarmingly, such reviews were shown to affect the likelihood of a purchase by up to 9.2%.
The same study estimated the financial cost to consumers to be up to £312 million annually. But the consequences for merchants are equally serious: fake reviews can destroy brand credibility, invite regulatory scrutiny, and drive away once-loyal customers.
What Laws and Regulations Apply to Review Fraud in the UK?
UK legislation is becoming increasingly unforgiving of review manipulation. The Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024, explicitly bans the commissioning or hosting of fake reviews. The act took full effect in April this year, and businesses are now also expected to take reasonable steps to detect and remove unauthentic content from their platforms.
This legislation gives the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) extensive new powers to investigate and take stronger action against businesses that do not comply. In fact, the CMA can now fine companies up to 10% of their global turnover for breaches of the new law.
In short, the legal risks are high – and growing. With faster enforcement and fewer legal hurdles for the CMA, businesses that ignore these rules will now face not only reputational harm but also swift and significant financial penalties.
How Are Major Platforms Responding to the Threat of Fake Reviews?
The UK government, in collaboration with global technology companies, has begun addressing review fraud more assertively. In 2023, the CMA reached agreements with Google and Trustpilot, both of which committed to stronger measures for removing any fake reviews and to penalise offenders.
Google, for example, now warns businesses that they may face temporary or permanent suspension of their business profiles, reduced visibility in search results and public labelling as a source of suspicious content. Similarly, Trustpilot has enhanced its fraud detection algorithms and introduced transparency reports which outline the enforcement actions. In the meantime, Amazon has launched several lawsuits against fake review brokers, showing its own commitment to preserving trust in its marketplace.
The actions taken by these large and reputable companies reinforce a growing trend: platforms are under increasing pressure to police their ecosystems, and merchants must either follow suit – or face damaging consequences.
How Can UK Merchants Safeguard Their Reputation?
The best defence against review fraud is a strong, proactive review management strategy. Here’s what UK merchants should focus on:
Avoid incentives that could be misleading – Do not offer discounts, freebies or loyalty points in exchange for reviews unless the terms are clearly disclosed. Incentivised reviews must always be identified as such under the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) rules.
Use a verified review platform – Partner with a trusted platform that verifies customers before they can post reviews. This adds legitimacy and helps identify fraudulent activity early. Examples of these are Truspilot or Google Customer Reviews.
Monitor regularly for any suspicious activity – Set up alerts for sudden spikes in positive or negative reviews. Use monitoring software to detect patterns (for example: multiple reviews from the same IP address or unverified accounts).
Train your staff – Ensure employees understand the legal and reputational implications of fake reviews. This helps prevent internal misconduct and educates customer-facing staff on what to do if they suspect fraudulent activity.
Take immediate action against any review bombing or extortion – If you’re being targeted by malicious reviews – whether from competitors or disgruntled customer, report them to the platform, collect evidence, and if necessary, seek legal advice under the Fraud Act.
What Are the Best Practices for Building Genuine, Positive Reviews?
It’s not just about avoiding review fraud – it’s also about building a system of authentic, reliable customer feedback. Here’s how merchants can achieve this:
Ask at the right moment – Prompt customers to leave reviews after a successful transaction or positive service interaction. Timing is key to getting genuine, quality feedback.
Make it easy to leave a review – Include links to review pages in emails, invoices, or follow-ups. This will remove friction from the process.
Respond professionally to all reviews – Show customers that you value their feedback, whether it be good or bad. Thank reviewers, address concerns, and avoid being defensive. This builds trust with potential customers who are reading your responses.
Share positive reviews internally – Use positive reviews to boost morale within your business and guide team behaviour. Highlight what works well and train staff on how to respond.
Track themes in negative reviews – Even critical feedback can be constructive. Identifying recurring issues and use these to improve your product or service.
How Can Fraud Experts Support Merchants?
Partnering with a trusted fraud prevention provider can be a vital partner in tackling review fraud.
Monitoring and detection – Many fraud solution companies offer review analytics as part of a broader risk intelligence suite. These tools can detect suspicious review patterns, IP clusters, or other anomalies that might indicate fraudulent behaviour.
Reputation defence – Some providers now work with legal and reputation management teams to help merchants formally challenge fake reviews and get them removed from platforms.
Data correlation – By comparing review activity with transaction data, a fraud solution partner can identify cases of friendly fraud, where a negative review is part of a larger attempt to secure a chargeback.
Chargeback dispute support – When negative (and possibly fake) reviews lead to chargebacks, a solution partner can help you assemble evidence and improve your win rate. For example, if a review falsely claims non-delivery, but delivery confirmation exists, your provider can help build a strong defence.
Building Trust in a Post-Fraud Landscape
Review fraud is not just a legal issue – it’s a reputational one. In a digital-first marketplace, consumers rely on peer feedback more now than ever before. While fake reviews might offer short-term gain, they carry significant long-term risks for merchants.
Therefore, merchants must take a zero-tolerance approach. That means implementing systems and processes for review authenticity, training staff to spot manipulation, and staying compliant with the increasingly evolving legal landscape. And you don’t have to do this alone. By partnering with a reputable fraud solution provider, you will gain a powerful ally in safeguarding your revenue, protecting your brand’s reputation, and ultimately delivering a more secure, trustworthy experience for present and future customers alike.