The rise of fake reviews on Amazon India

The rise of fake reviews on Amazon India

5 years back, when I joined the blogging world and wrote my first blog post, I had no idea what the simple and brutally honest blogosphere would turn into. Needless to say, it’s a mess today!

And I’m not just limiting this to the blogging world. Be it even Youtube or Instagram, all these fields have become a gold mine for companies. The result being a lot of people getting exploited. I can’t express in words how heartbreaking it is for me to see no difference in magazines or Youtube/Blogs today. The fine line between selling out and being a sell out has been crossed. Not to mention, the role many of the channels play in undermining someone’s confidence by producing unrealistic expectations.

Sadly, the latest medium to have been hit by this HEAVILY is Amazon India. I shop on Amazon India mainly for 3 categories i.e. grocery, beauty and books.

Look at the following examples and you may understand what I’m trying to show you:

Here’s the product link

Let’s have a look at the first review:

The reason why I got suspicious about this product’s rating is because of this very review. Her hairfall caused due to postpartum stopped to a LARGE EXTENT because of a hair mask? Codswallop!

I checked out her profile and these are the only products she has reviewed:

Devoted to just 1 brand. Check the dates too.

Then, I checked some more profiles and this is what I noticed:

The reviews have a strategy to them and that most of the products they have reviewed are of this brand. The language isn’t all flowery. Many reviews have pros as well as cons but the cons are written in a manner that they’re almost negligible. See what they’re doing here? They are balancing things quite smartly. Some users noticed this and wrote:

Yes, paid reviewers are now on Amazon too! There is NOTHING WRONG in BEING PAID for your work. But here’s the thing: While some don’t let freebies change their feelings regarding how they feel about a product there are others who will not bite the hand that feeds them. The person’s who at a loss here is one who isn’t aware or someone who is aware yet chooses to ignore it.

Here’s another example from the same brand:

Product link

Have a look at this review:

Go through the review. It makes no sense! Nothing connects. It begins with the reviewer saying that she bought the product for her cousin sister, to be mom. That’s sweet. But then, she goes on to say how the product has benefitted her mom. So, she got one for her mom too. She forgot to link that thing in her review or maybe, she’s not a good storyteller. Anyhow, the cream reduced CHRONIC dark circles and also TIGHTENED the under-eye area. PUFFINESS is also in control. Ah! Sweet dreams. Botox for less than Rs.1000!

Some more reviews of this product:

Most of the profiles I visited reviewed 80% of the products from this brand. I also found many fake reviews from profiles who have reviewed products actively from other brands as well. 90% of the times, the ratings were 4 or 5.

Here are the reviewers who have given it a 1 star rating. Of course, some may not be genuine. Competitors pay money to post a negative review on other products too.  Complex algorithm. But you get the gist, right? Are you wondering how do I know? Well, these kind of sick opportunities have landed in my mail box too.

You can find fake reviews across different categories on any website actually. Since I shop on Amazon a lot, this thing made me angrier. If you’re wondering why I still shop on Amazon, it’s because they take their customers very seriously. Also, as I said, this is happening on just about every medium today.

Next time you find a review which you think isn’t genuine, report it. Make a difference on your part!

Have you been a victim of such fake reviews? Share with me anything you feel like in relation to this.