Beware of Fake Testimonials!!

Notes taken by: Theresa Payton, Fortalice, LLC.

Also featured on WBTV's Protecting Your Cyberturf with Kristen Miranda and Theresa Payton

We all have learned to count on reviews from ordinary people before we purchase a product, try a new service, or eat at a restaurant. But what if you based your decision on reading opinions that were not what they seem to be? Your hard earned money might go right down the drain if you are not aware of this latest issue.

It’s a new site called FIVERR and even though the site is still in test mode – beta – there are lots of people hanging out there. The allure? It’s the place where people share the things they will do for $5! Including, writing testimonials for businesses, even if they don’t know a thing about the business.

1 TIP ON HOW TO SPOT A POTENTIAL REVIEW FAKE:

If you see a big burst of reviews, all positive or all negative and within hours or a few days, you might have a scam. Look for similar patterns to the positive or negative feedback.

TIPS TO USE WHEN RESEARCHING A PRODUCT OR SERVICE

If the reviews seem to good to be true, go to multiple review and opinion pages to see what you can find

Go out to Facebook or Twitter and ask your social network for input

Check Consumer Reports

Check in with the Business Bureau where that product or service is located to see if the reviews are consistent with the online ratings

WEB RESOURCES:

If you want to see how others use Gogo or other Wi-Fi services on airplanes look at Mashable’s infographic:

http://mashable.com/2011/08/31/inflight-wifi-infographic/

There are many sites that allow people to post opinions. We have listed some options for you on three sites.

EPINION.COM: Sites like epinion.com try to set up a trusted network of opinion givers to avoid scams but they can still get through. If you see a problem on their site, go to: http://www.epinions.com/help/

YELP.COM: Yelp.com lets you report questionable material at their site: http://www.yelp.com/contact

AMAZON.COM: You can see Amazon.com’s guidelines and report a problem at: http://www.amazon.com/gp/community-help/customer-reviews-guidelines