A five-star rating can make an unfamiliar shop look trustworthy. But what happens when reviewers never used the product, received undisclosed rewards or had their negative experiences hidden? Fake reviews affect real purchasing decisions, from ordering a takeaway to choosing a contractor.
UK consumer law now tackles these practices explicitly. The rules reach beyond people posting invented praise: they also cover businesses arranging reviews and websites displaying them misleadingly. Knowing what the law says makes it easier to judge suspicious ratings, understand your rights and report concerns effectively.
How UK consumer law deals with fake reviews
On 6 April 2025, the unfair commercial practices provisions of the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 came into force. They replaced and updated the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008 for commercial practices occurring from that date. Schedule 20 includes a specific banned practice covering consumer reviews.
The law prohibits submitting or commissioning a fake review, hiding the fact that a commissioned review was incentivised, and publishing reviews or information based on them in a misleading way. Businesses publishing reviews must take reasonable and proportionate steps to prevent prohibited reviews appearing and remove them when necessary.
These practices are automatically considered unfair. Regulators do not need to prove that an individual buyer changed their mind because of a particular review. This is a significant change in fake reviews UK law, although it does not mean every unusual review is unlawful.
What makes a review fake or misleading?
Invented experiences
A fake review appears to describe someone’s genuine experience but does not. A shop owner posing as a customer or an agency praising a hotel it never visited are obvious examples. A genuine review containing a harsh opinion is not automatically fake just because a business disagrees with it.
Hidden rewards
Incentivised reviews need transparency. A restaurant might offer a free meal for honest feedback, provided the arrangement is clearly disclosed. Concealing the reward is prohibited, and offering benefits only for positive ratings can also distort the picture customers receive.
Selective publication and inflated ratings
Misleading reviews do not always involve fabricated comments. A company could hide genuine one-star complaints, prominently feature only five-star feedback or move favourable reviews from an old product onto an unrelated listing. The resulting average rating might be deceptive even if individual reviews were written by real customers.
That matters because many shoppers make an initial decision based on the displayed score rather than reading every comment. A trustworthy reviews system should not manufacture an impression of universal satisfaction.
What must businesses and review platforms do?
Retailers, marketplaces and other traders publishing consumer feedback are expected to take precautions appropriate to their size and risks. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) recommends clear review policies, monitoring for suspicious patterns, mechanisms for reporting concerns and procedures to investigate and remove prohibited material.
Reasonable and proportionate measures will differ between a small business and a large marketplace. A verified-purchase label can be useful but is not conclusive proof that everything in a review is true. Similarly, the law does not require every reviewer to have bought directly through the platform.
In March 2026, the CMA announced investigations into five businesses involving the collection, moderation or display of reviews and ratings. No infringement was established merely by opening those cases. The investigations nevertheless demonstrate why the way reviews are presented matters alongside their authenticity.
How to assess reviews before buying
No single warning sign proves fraud. Look for clusters of enthusiastic comments posted unusually close together, generic language that reveals little about the product, or reviews mentioning a different model from the one advertised.
Read recent feedback and lower ratings rather than relying on the headline score. Compare comments on independent platforms, check whether reviewers describe concrete experiences and look for the site’s policy on paid or gifted reviews. An apparently flawless profile deserves scrutiny when important details are missing.
For expensive purchases, verify the trader’s contact details, product specifications and terms as well. Our guide to checking online retailers can help you make those additional checks.
How to report suspected fake reviews
Preserve evidence before a listing changes. Capture the wording of the review, its date, the displayed star rating, the product page and any statements about incentives. Keep your order confirmation if you bought something.
Use the review platform’s reporting feature first. Explain the precise concern: for example, the same wording appearing across unrelated listings or a review referring to a product the seller does not offer. Report suspected manipulation to the trader in writing and retain the correspondence.
For broader consumer advice or a potential Trading Standards referral, contact Citizens Advice in England or Wales, Advice Direct Scotland in Scotland, or Consumerline in Northern Ireland. Trading Standards may investigate unlawful trading but does not normally obtain a personal refund.
Where concerns suggest widespread manipulation, the CMA may also investigate. A report helps enforcement authorities recognise patterns, although submitting one does not guarantee an investigation or personal compensation.
What are your rights if you relied on misleading reviews?
Online review consumer rights should not be confused with an automatic right to a refund whenever suspicious feedback appears. The remedy depends on what was promised, what you purchased and the facts of the transaction.
Under the Consumer Rights Act 2015, goods that are faulty or not as described may qualify for a repair, replacement or refund. Many distance purchases carry a separate 14-day cancellation right, subject to exceptions. If specific misleading representations influenced your decision, further legal issues may arise, and tailored consumer advice can help.
Consider a family booking accommodation after reading glowing reviews, only to discover some reviewers received undisclosed free stays. They should save screenshots, the booking terms and any relevant messages, then raise the misleading presentation with the provider or booking platform. Whether they can recover money depends on the full circumstances, not simply the existence of incentivised reviews.
Related guidance on online shopping consumer rights and making a complaint about unfair trading can help you decide what to do next.
Frequently asked questions
Are fake online reviews illegal in the UK?
Yes. Since April 2025, creating or commissioning fake reviews and certain misleading review practices are expressly banned under the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024.
Can companies delete negative customer reviews?
Moderating abusive or irrelevant content can be legitimate. Suppressing genuine criticism simply to make ratings look better, however, may breach the prohibition on misleading publication.
Are reviews for free products allowed?
A genuine review of a gifted product is not necessarily unlawful, but the benefit must be clearly disclosed. Transparency does not make an invented experience acceptable.
Where can I report suspicious ratings?
Start with the platform hosting the reviews. For suspected unfair trading, contact the appropriate UK consumer advice service, which can direct information to enforcement bodies.
Why review transparency matters
Fake reviews and UK consumer law concern the reliability of information people use to spend money. The newer rules put obligations on traders and review publishers, while shoppers can protect themselves by checking beyond star averages, preserving evidence and reporting suspicious practices through the right channels.
