Fake Review Glossary

Review fakery has become a sophisticated (and lucrative) business. Review fakers have developed a language of their own. Here are some of their more commonly-used terms.

Amplification

The tactic of taking a genuine negative review and using its main points to create multiple additional reviews that amplify the negative sentiment. This strategy is used to exaggerate the impact of the original criticism, making it seem more widespread and damaging than it actually is. Amplification can significantly harm a product's or service&appos;s reputation by creating a disproportionate perception of widespread dissatisfaction.

Anonymous Review

Many review sites allow users to post anonymously or as a guest. Review fakers exploit this anonymity. Anonymous reviews are three times as likely to be fake.

Astroturfing

The practice of creating the illusion of widespread support for a product or service, often by orchestrating fake reviews. Astroturfing is commonly used when a business is new, or to counter negative PR, giving the false impression of grassroots support.

Bot Review

The practice of creating the illusion of widespread support for a product or service, often by orchestrating fake reviews. Astroturfing is commonly used when a business is new, or to counter negative PR, giving the false impression of grassroots support.

Burner Account

An account created solely to post fake reviews or comments, then discarded. Also referred to as a 'sockpuppet'.

Disinformation Review

A type of fake review specifically designed to spread false information about a product or service. Disinformation reviews are often coordinated campaigns aimed at misleading consumers by presenting fabricated or manipulated facts.

Echo Chamber Effect

The phenomenon where fake reviews are amplified by being repeated or referenced across multiple platforms, creating an illusion of consensus. This effect can make misinformation more convincing and harder to debunk.

Fake Review

A review that is dishonest and written with the intention to deceive. The majority (5 out of 6) of fake reviews are positive, while 1 in 6 is a negative fake review intended to harm competitors.

Fake Review Detection

The process of identifying fake or fraudulent online reviews. This typically involves systematic, programmatic analysis of patterns in language, sentiment, tone, length, frequency, and timing of reviews, often using advanced AI and machine learning algorithms.

Incentivized Review

A review written in exchange for compensation, such as money, gifts, or discounts. Incentivized reviews are illegal in many jurisdictions if the compensation is not disclosed, and they often skew overly positive.

Malicious Coordination

The organized effort by groups or individuals to post fake reviews en masse, often with the intent to damage the reputation of a competitor or manipulate public perception. Malicious coordination is a form of disinformation strategy.

Moderation

The process of monitoring and, if necessary, removing fake reviews to maintain the integrity of a review platform. Effective moderation is crucial to prevent the spread of fake reviews.

Negative Review Bombing

(Also referred to as Review Bombing or Neg Bombing) The orchestrated manipulation of user-generated reviews or ratings to harm a product or business's reputation. Fake negative reviews are typically left by competitors, disgruntled employees, or activists.

Partial Dupe

An existing (possibly genuine) review that has been copied, pasted, and then altered. Mildly reworking duplicates of existing reviews is quick and easy. This kind of review manipulation is hard to spot manually but is alarmingly common.

Review Aggregator

A website or platform that compiles reviews from various sources to provide an overall rating or summary of a product or service. Aggregators can be targets for fake reviews to influence a broader audience.

Review Farm

A group or network of individuals that generate fake reviews for payment. Review farms operate in bulk, making it difficult for individual review platforms to identify and remove all fake reviews.

Review Manipulation

A broad term encompassing various tactics used to alter the perception of a product or service through fake reviews. This includes both positive shilling and negative bombing, as well as more subtle methods like salting.

Shadow Banning

The practice of partially blocking or making certain fake reviews less visible on a platform without alerting the user who posted them. This tactic can be used to limit the impact of questionable reviews without outright removal.

Sockpuppet Network

A coordinated group of fake accounts (sockpuppets) used to post reviews, often in a synchronized manner. These networks are harder to detect due to the appearance of being unrelated individuals, making their fake reviews more convincing.

Stolen Reviews

A concerning and frequent practice where review farms or dishonest businesses steal lengthy and well-written reviews from competitors and repurpose them as their own.

Salting

The practice of planting fake reviews, either positive or negative, among genuine reviews to make them less noticeable. This tactic aims to blend fake reviews with real ones to avoid detection.

Shilling

Writing positive fake reviews to artificially boost the reputation or ratings of a product or business. Shilling is often used to create a misleadingly favorable perception.

Synthetic Content

Content, including reviews, generated by AI or other automated systems that mimic human writing. Synthetic content can be used in fake reviews to flood platforms with misleading information that appears authentic.

Trolling

Writing inflammatory or offensive fake reviews with the intention of inciting reactions or controversy. Trolling is used to disrupt the integrity of review platforms and can lead to misleading negative ratings.

Transparency Requirement

A policy that mandates reviewers disclose any incentives, affiliations, or relationships that may bias their reviews. Despite its importance, this requirement is often ignored, leading to misleading or dishonest reviews.

TruthEngine^®

The world’s first fully independent cross-platform fake review detection system. The The TruthEngine^® can detect fake reviews across major platforms, including Amazon, Google, TripAdvisor, TrustPilot, and more.

TruthMark^®

Businesses whose reviews pass the TruthEngine^®’s real-time authenticity testing are granted the the TruthMark^®, a symbol of review integrity.

Whisper Campaign

A subtle form of disinformation where fake reviews are used to spread rumors or negative sentiment about a competitor’s product or service. These reviews are typically less direct and more insinuative, designed to create doubt rather than outright falsehoods.

Verification

The process used by certain review platforms to validate the authenticity of reviews and attempt to eliminate fake ones. Verification can include identity checks, purchase confirmation, or other methods to ensure reviews are genuine.