The War On Fake Reviews Ramps Up: NY Fines Companies For Fake Yelp Reviews

from the this-could-get-interesting dept

Fri, Sep 27th 2013 10:21am — Mike Masnick

It would appear that there's finally a bit of a war on fake reviews. Just a few weeks ago, we noted how Yelp had sued a law firm for posting fake reviews. And a few days ago, NY's Attorney General announced $350,000 in fines against 19 companies for writing fake reviews.

Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman today announced that 19 companies had agreed to cease their practice of writing fake online reviews for businesses and to pay more than $350,000 in penalties. "Operation Clean Turf," a year-long undercover investigation into the reputation management industry, the manipulation of consumer-review websites, and the practice of astroturfing, found that companies had flooded the Internet with fake consumer reviews on websites such as Yelp, Google Local, and CitySearch. In the course of the investigation, the Attorney General's office found that many of these companies used techniques to hide their identities, such as creating fake online profiles on consumer review websites and paying freelance writers from as far away as the Philippines, Bangladesh and Eastern Europe for $1 to $10 per review. By producing fake reviews, these companies violated multiple state laws against false advertising and engaged in illegal and deceptive business practices.

NY actually set up a whole sting operation, posing as a Yogurt shop in Brooklyn, asking SEO companies how to deal with negative reviews. Some of the companies offered to write up fake reviews, and suddenly NY had some targets to investigate. While many of the companies NY went after were SEO/digital marketing companies, some were the companies who hired astroturfers themselves (and the NY AG even calls them astroturfers). This includes US Coachways, a big charter bus company and Laser Cosmetica, a laser hair removal place in the NYC area.

Given just how frequently astroturfing seems to happen these days, it could be interesting to see if there's a bigger crackdown by consumer protection agencies, arguing that astroturfing is a form of false advertising. Still, as some are pointing out, there are many reasons for fake reviews that have nothing to do with a business paying people to write them good reviews -- and that's why fake reviews may be difficult to really stop.

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Filed Under: astroturfing, fake reviews, new york
Companies: yelp

22 Comments

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Anonymous Coward, 27 Sep 2013 @ 10:26am

* cue MPAA/RIAA astroturfing*
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Ninja (profile), 27 Sep 2013 @ 10:29am

Re:
Cue high court, low court.
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S. T. Stone, 27 Sep 2013 @ 10:31am

Well, this explains OOTB.
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Anonymous Coward, 27 Sep 2013 @ 10:38am

"The War On Fake Reviews"

Aw, hell, WTF?

Why did you have to go and ruin your point by calling it a war?

Or are you trying to become the next Fox news?
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out_of_the_blue, 27 Sep 2013 @ 10:45am

This is probably just a token show, not start of real regulation.
But I'm kind of surprised Mike doesn't have "free speech", undue interference with economic activity, overbearing grandstanding State Attorney General, or another of his usual objections to laws being enforced.

The punch Dan Nainan threw brought up a HIGHLY interesting bit of fakery:
Last year, The New York Times reported that Nainan was part of a growing trend of people purchasing Twitter followers.

(No link: I don't like the source, not least because since first read, removed the hundreds of thousands figure to apparently tone it down.
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Anonymous Coward, 27 Sep 2013 @ 10:50am

Still, as some are pointing out, there are many reasons for fake reviews that have nothing to do with a business paying people to write them good reviews -- and that's why fake reviews may be difficult to really stop.

They seem to be targeting fake review companies, not fake reviews in general. The latter would indeed be quixotic, but the former makes sense to me. We're talking about companies that exist for the sole purpose of defrauding consumers. Why shouldn't AGs go after them?
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out_of_the_blue, 27 Sep 2013 @ 10:51am

Re: Tribute to out_of_the_blue!
@ S. T. Stone, Sep 27th, 2013 @ 10:31am

Well, this explains OOTB.

Your empty ad hom is explained by stoopidity.

The most influential, the most commented-at, the most mocked! And the only commenter honored in SONG!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Out_of_the_Blue
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Ninja (profile), 27 Sep 2013 @ 10:57am

Re: Re: Tribute to out_of_the_blue!
Pot, meet kettle.
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out_of_the_blue, 27 Sep 2013 @ 11:07am

Re: Re: Re: Tribute to out_of_the_blue! -- Seconded!
Ninja (profile), Sep 27th, 2013 @ 10:57am

Re: Re: Tribute to out_of_the_blue!
Pot, meet kettle.

Stoopid, meet stoopider!

Gosh, Mike, these are your top fanboys revealing themselves as as only capable of one-liners in response to someone they claim is beyond reach! Doesn't speak well of the site.

Mike's fanboy-trolls imitate him by taking no position except the pejorative.
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Ninja (profile), 27 Sep 2013 @ 11:15am

Re: Re: Re: Re: Tribute to out_of_the_blue! -- Seconded!
Stoopid, meet stoopider!

That makes us the 3 stooges ;)

Mike's fanboy-trolls imitate him by taking no position except the pejorative.

I've always stated my position in my comments. Though truth be said it seems you don't approve it. Which in turn I couldn't care less.

And any mentally handicapped baboon can quickly grasp what Mike thinks about it. You just like to pretend he doesn't have a position and then you want him to provide the solution to all the problems in a way you approve. Megalomania is a psychiatric pathology I think ;)
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RyanNerd (profile), 27 Sep 2013 @ 11:17am

Billy Mays here....
Billy Mays: I have my built in studio audience that I have paid money to laugh at my jokes, clap and say "Ohhhh" and "Awww!" at the appropriate times.
Okay lets begin. Behind me I have an old beat up pinto. We've put our Kaboom product in this car wash. We drive the pinto into the carwash and KABOOM!!! out comes a new corvette!!!
Audience: OHHHHHH... AWWWWWWW.... WOW!!! [Clapping]
Billy Mays: But wait there�s more!! If you apply KABOOM to your cell phone or home phone and the NSA tries to collect your meta-data.... KABOOM!! One of their servers at Google explodes!!!
Audience: Ohhhhhhh!!!! [Standing Ovation]
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Jardinero1 (profile), 27 Sep 2013 @ 12:05pm

A good fake is better than an original
I don't really see the problem with fake reviews. Anybody who trusts a review from a stranger is an idiot anyway. The only reviews I trust are bad reviews.
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Anonymous Coward, 27 Sep 2013 @ 1:00pm

Re: A good fake is better than an original
So you are an idiot?
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Anonymous Coward, 27 Sep 2013 @ 5:01pm

Re:
I think drugs are a better explanation ...
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Anonymous Coward, 27 Sep 2013 @ 5:41pm

Let me guess ... the fix, answer, whatever to fake reviews will be that everyone, even when not submitting a review, will need to identify themselves on the internet.

Haha, just another weak attempt at tracking your ass everywhere.
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ccna certification, 4 Oct 2013 @ 3:38am

Marketing
Well Corolla and City owners are just throwing bricks on each other. Both Corolla and Honda are good cars so please give honest reviews.
I own both GLi 2012 and Honda City Prosmatic (October 2012 model). So heres my experience about HONDA CITY.
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Robert, 21 Oct 2013 @ 11:35pm

Re:
I think it is safe to say, if they track you real indentity when you give product reviews, no one will really suffer except the trolls and producers of Crappy products. After all you have the whole rest of the internet to anonymously post it. So forced requirement for real identities on product review sites, seems quite reasonable.
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matt coffy, 24 Jun 2014 @ 1:18pm

So typical
US Coachways called us a few months ago to work on there SEO campaign and reputation management... politely declined.
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John, 10 Aug 2015 @ 7:30pm

Fake Reviews Everywhere
It is so easy to point out the real reviews from the fake ones. Sometimes they are so obvious that they are coming from the owner - the owner will post using their own name. How stupid can you be??
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John F, 10 Aug 2015 @ 7:42pm

Fake Reviews Everywhere
It is so easy to point out the real reviews from the fake ones. Sometimes they are so obvious that they are coming from the owner - the owner will post using their own name. How stupid can you be??
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4pointdigital, 7 May 2016 @ 4:26pm

Digital Agencies
Typical scam agencies will help create these fake reviews. Gives us all a bad name
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