Short answer

Fake reviews can now be written in bulk by software, so a page full of glowing five-star comments proves little. The US FTC bans AI-generated reviews that pretend to come from real customers, and UK rules treat bot-generated reviews as banned too. Judge a shop by checks you control: payment method, company details, independent reviews and how it treats refunds.

Key takeaways

  • The FTC's final rule on reviews covers AI-generated reviews attributed to people who do not exist.
  • UK CMA guidance lists buying reviews that look like consumer reviews but were generated by software such as bots as a banned practice.
  • Rules punish those who commission or publish fake reviews. They do not stop a scam site from ignoring the law, so you must check for yourself.
  • Review counts, star averages and AI-written review summaries can all be distorted by fake reviews.
  • How you pay matters more than how good the reviews look, because some payment methods give you a way to dispute a charge.

Why reviews are easier to fake now

A few years ago, faking a hundred product reviews meant paying people to write them. Today software can produce hundreds of varied, grammatical reviews in minutes, each with a different voice. That does not make every glowing review fake. It does mean that the old advice to trust a shop with lots of positive comments needs a firmer check behind it.

Regulators have caught up. On 14 August 2024 the US Federal Trade Commission announced a final rule banning fake reviews and testimonials. According to the FTC, the rule covers fake or false reviews, including AI-generated ones attributed to people who do not exist, and reviews from people with no real experience of the business. It also covers paid reviews tied to a particular sentiment, undisclosed reviews by insiders, review suppression through groundless threats, and buying or selling fake social media followers or views. The FTC says it can seek civil penalties against knowing violators.

In the UK, the Competition and Markets Authority published guidance (CMA208) on 4 April 2025 after legislative changes that April. Among its examples of banned conduct is buying reviews that look like they were written by individual consumers but were in fact generated by software applications such as bots. The guidance also tells review publishers to remove banned reviews and to correct the review information they affect, including counts, ratings, rankings and AI-generated review summaries.

What the rules do not do

These rules target businesses and publishers that are within reach of a regulator. A scam site run from abroad under a throwaway domain is not waiting for guidance. Treat the law as a reason fake reviews exist in the open, not as a guarantee that the reviews in front of you are real.

Signs a shop or its reviews may be fake

None of these proves a scam alone, but several together should slow you down.

  • Reviews that say little. “Great product, fast delivery, would buy again” repeated across dozens of listings.
  • Bursts. A new shop with hundreds of reviews dated within a few days.
  • Reviews that do not match the product. Praise for a different item, or comments that could apply to anything.
  • Missing business details. No registered name, no address, no phone number, or a returns policy copied from elsewhere.
  • Prices far below everyone else’s, with countdown timers or “last items” banners. Our guide to phishing messages covers the same pressure tactics.
  • Review text only on the shop’s own pages. Independent sources give you a second view.

Check the shop, not just the stars

Search the shop’s name next to words like “refund” and “scam”. Look at when the domain appeared, and whether the shop appears on social media with real customer posts, not only adverts. If the shop reached you through an advert or an unsolicited message, remember that AI also helps scammers write convincing scripts and messages.

Payment is your strongest protection. A credit card usually gives you a dispute route if goods never arrive. Bank transfers, gift cards and crypto rarely do. If you have already paid a doubtful shop, contact your card issuer at once and change any password you reused on the site. The same habit of cross-checking helps when an AI assistant summarises reviews for you, because AI tools can state invented facts with confidence.

The short version

Do not let a rating do your thinking. Use reviews to find problems, not to reach a verdict, and let verifiable facts about the seller and the payment method decide.

What you can do

  1. 01Read the most detailed negative and middling reviews first. Look for specifics such as dates, order problems and how the seller responded.
  2. 02Be cautious when many reviews arrive in a burst, share the same phrases, or praise the shop in generic terms without mentioning what was bought.
  3. 03Search for the shop's name plus words like scam, refund or complaint, and check independent sites rather than reviews hosted on the shop's own pages.
  4. 04Look for a real business name, address, phone number and clear returns policy. Be wary if details are missing or the page copy reads as generic.
  5. 05Pay by a method that offers dispute rights, such as a credit card, and avoid bank transfers, gift cards or crypto for a first purchase.
  6. 06If you were scammed, contact your card issuer quickly, report the site to the platform that advertised it, and report to your consumer protection regulator.

Related reading: AI voice clone scams and the data breach tracker.

Frequently asked questions

Is it illegal to post AI-generated reviews?

In the US, the FTC says its rule bans fake reviews and testimonials, including AI-generated ones attributed to people who do not exist, when the business knew or should have known they were fake. In the UK, the CMA lists buying reviews generated by software, such as bots, as a banned practice. Rules differ by country.

Can a shop with thousands of five-star reviews still be a scam?

Yes. Review counts and ratings are exactly what fake reviews are designed to inflate. CMA guidance says publishers should also correct review counts, ratings and AI-generated review summaries affected by banned reviews. A scam site is unlikely to do that.

Do these rules cover buying fake followers?

The FTC's rule also covers buying or selling fake social media indicators such as bot-generated followers or views, when the buyer knew or should have known they were fake and used them for a commercial purpose.

Where can I report a fake review or a scam shop?

Report to the platform that hosts the review or advert first. Then use your national consumer protection body, such as the FTC in the US or the CMA in the UK. Contact your card issuer if you paid.

Sources

  1. Federal Trade Commission Announces Final Rule Banning Fake Reviews and Testimonials, US Federal Trade Commission, 2024-08-14
  2. Fake reviews guidance (CMA208), UK Competition and Markets Authority, 2025-04-04

This article reflects public information as of 2026-11-06. AI tools and rules change quickly; we update articles when new facts are published. Spot an error? See our editorial and corrections policy.