"The FTC settled a case against a company that bought fake Amazon reviews for its weight loss pills," said Federal Trade Commission attorney Michael Ostheimer. "People rely on reviews and when a company buys fake reviews, it hurts both shoppers and companies that play by the rules."
Fake reviews are increasingly prevalent across many top retailer websites, according to a study from Fakespot.
Red flags for consumers include:
• A one-day surge in five-star reviews
• Broken grammar
• Reviews from reviewers who post hundreds of reviews in one day
It's reported that some companies are hiring people or using bots to also post fake "bad" reviews for competitors.